Page 17 - Fall 2020 Tags and Swipes

Tags and Swipes, Fall 2020

Merrimack Valley Chorus

WE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE

Singing is such a significant expression of the self. Isn’t it natural that we have developed deep
connections with our fellow Sweet Adelines? With permission, we’d like to share some of a recent email
exchange among members of MVA:

It's good to see so many of you at our Thursday night Zoom meetings. If you're like me, Thursday nights
bring a mix of comfort, seeing all the familiar faces, and sadness, experiencing the distance and the lack
of singing. I also find my days seesawing between those same emotions — one day, the pace of life feels
peaceful, and the next day, everything feels unsettled. Today was one of the more unsettling ones. But
tomorrow will be better :)

I recently wrote a poem, on a day when I was missing you all. I'm attaching it here for you, hoping that it
will touch that place in you that might be missing MVA. :) Chris

To Sing Again —there is no safe way for singers to rehearse together until a Covid-19 vaccine is
available (N.A.T.S.)

That's right, look at me—
the man stocking shelves
at the grocery store yells, not
wearing a mask, as shoppers
wearing masks pass silently
cringing at his anthem
of misguided rebellion

The invisible thief of life
as we lived it creeps
close & leaves a hollow
footprint—a fermata
of rests & pauses
in a silent song

O, to blend my voice again
with other singers
to fit harmony like a good
pair of jeans—you know
he ones—the ones
that make you walk
happier, like you fit somewhere
in this separated world

C.V. Blaisdell, May 2020

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North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines