The Lady Sung the Blues

Anticipation, faces sparkling, wrinkles smiling, memories at the ready. Friends inter-mingling, while great grandchildren run through the gathering crowd. Sun streaking through branches, warming joints, and turned up faces seeking the rare appearance of the coastal sun. The growing color of gray cropped heads blot out the distant green scape as the band arrives one by one. Blankets spread, picnic baskets, and bottles of wine appear. Drummer man begins testing his skins, while the Blues Brother look-alike adjust his mic. Bass guitar man plugs into his amps then makes a run through his vibrating strings. Anticipation, memories at the ready. Wrinkles smiling, audience’s eyes glowing, puppy dogs running as great grandchildren do cartwheels on the grass. Almost ready, drummer warms up with a mixed run of sheep skin sounds. Base man vibrates notes that rock nearby windows and flutter our wrinkled foreheads. Pretty lady arrives on stage and is welcomed by the band like an old lost friend. She sets her music on a stand and adjust her mic downward. Anticipation growing, memories at the ready. Blues Brother laughing, making eyes at the pretty lady. Puppy dogs running. Little four year old boy in blue striped shirt plays his air guitar in front of base man who is smiling at the boy’s mimicking accuracy. Snacks, blankets, and beer, vibrations fill the air. It begins _the pretty lady welcomes all. She announces that we were about to experience a ride back to the sixties, and seventies. They start _the rhythm of Muddy Waters fills the air. As pretty lady sings the blues. Old necks swaying and dancing, hands clapping, as wrinkles smile again. Eyes connecting with strangers, family and friends. Old couples grasping their loved-one’s hands _remembering when, as the lady sings the blues. Before you know it, it is over. Good-bye hugs and handshakes. Mamas and Papas gathering their now sleeping children. Retired professionals, doctors, lawyers and old artisans with memories now awakened begin to leave, _some older, turn their heads downward, walking in tune with their walkers, and canes as their children help them back to parked cars in handicap zones. Cars back out, but before moving on _ a few of the elder attendees turn their head back to the park to capture one more moment in time, as they gaze upon their dispersing long lost friends, who just shared a ride back to the sixties, and seventies; when the guitar man strummed, and the lady sung the blues.