Wood Nymph

 Wood Nymph 

Today on the road to the old grind

I spied a wood nymph I was hoping to find

Among the trees smiling warm and kind.

She had me play hooky, controlling my mind.

She radiated in the temped spring air

Wearing green silk and flowers in her hair.

In her spell, I would follow anywhere.

‘Neath an oak, we petted her black hare.

Buds sprang from the new warmth

I was filled with the virility of youth

While the air was with sweet vermouth

Blindly I was led down her silent path.

To call it love would be pallid prose.

A mortal man, a Goddess juxtapose

Then intertwined as the blood flows

Blossoming a rare mountain rose.

Transfixed by green eyes and brown hair

We found ourselves as a motionless pair

The wind shifted to cold blowing sudden tear

And I woke up in my office chair.

Dave Schipper © 2008 Rose Riversongs

I was surprised that this wasn't posted to this musings blog.  I was reminded of it when Lola Kirke posted this photo. She is the saint (and sinner) I first fell in love with on Mozart in the Jungle; but now I follow her also as a musician.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lola Kirke (@lolakirke)

Thanksgiving

We give thanks for us together, for fair traveling weather

And this bounty we’ll soon share, we give thanks for us today.

For our health, for the wealth

All friends that care

For our meal, For the love we feel

Wrapped in this warm home

We give thanks for the memories, And all of our families

And pray for the alone and forgotten, we give thanks for us today

For  our dreams, for our hopes

And so many goals

For the earth, our land of birth

To the heaven’s stars above

We give thanks to those departed, To them we owe our debt

And pray for their brave souls, we give thanks for them today

For the trees, flowers, bees

And the evening sun

For partners new and old

Through whine or shine

We give thanks for us together, For harvests of treasures  

Now a bounty we can share, we give thanks

we give thanks, we give thanks, today

 Thanksgiving  Co Write- Nick Nichols & Dave Schipper (c) 2022 Rose Riversongs

I was asked to put the following to music, and made the poem into a part A & B with Nick's approval.  I'm pursuing better vocalists to sign the song, but here's what it sounds like.

Here is the original poem.

Thanksgiving 2014 - by Nick Nichols

I give thanks for us together

For fair traveling weather

And this bounty we’re soon to share

I give thanks for our health

I give thanks for the wealth

Of our family and friends that care

I give thanks for our meal

For the love that we feel

Wrapped warm in this good solid home

I give thanks for the memories

And all of the families

And pray no one is forgotten and alone

I give thanks for dreams

And for hope as ethereal as it may seem

And so many unattainable goals

I give thanks to those gone ahead

To them I owe my debt

Those ancestors such brave and wonderful souls

I give thanks to the earth

And the land of my birth

To the stars and the heavens above

I give thanks to the trees

The flowers and the bees

And the warmth of an evening sun

I give thanks for my life

I give thanks for my wife

And try so hard not to whine

I give thanks for a soft shoulder

Even as I grow older

I give thanks for my little bit of time

I give thanks for my devotion

And my extreme emotions

And patience and forgiveness too

I give thanks that I’m here

Freedoms ring is so clear

I give thanks that I’m red, white and blue

I give thanks for I have all I need

I’m blessed so blessed indeed

So I give thanks

I give thanks

I give thanks

Water is Life

 

Mother Earth, now listen to us

We're protectors calling you

Oh our brothers are misguided

They need wisdom to pull us through

Water is life we all know that

Sacred as the morning sun

Still we hide ourselves in sin

Ignoring all that we have done.

Human beings just formed of dust

Would wither in the coming heat

We need to stop and check our actions

For our children to live and breathe

There are choices you can show us

There are actions we must take

We are all in this together

And we know what is at stake.

Mother Earth, guide us forward

Take the plank from in our sight

We pray to stop the greedy bastards

Form a new earth birthright

Water is life be our battle cry

On our lips and mind each day

Mark our journey with your blessings

Let us feel the lake's spray.

To the hymn tune Beach Spring

By Dave Schipper

(c) 2022 Roseriver Songs

This tune is one I love to play instrumentally and knew it belonged to this theme.  Any one who would love to sing, to cover or publish these words, do so as a gift from me to the earth; just give me a byline so that we may have a source for more sharing. 

Added later after original post was published, my singing of the song; p.s. I did tweak some of the words too to make it easier to sign.

Of course retirement and an empty house for a few hours allowed me to record it and make it available for 100% proceeds going to Honor the Earth.

Here is the melody if you aren't familiar and want to sign to it.

To read the Dave's Basement Tracks recap of the festival, Click Here.

Have You Written

Last time I saw you were

Lost in a word devotion

Chopping and choosing

A mixed salad of emotions

Have you written it down?

You are so good with words

I’m sure I’ll be edited out 

You wave that pen as a sword

You looked up with those

Black holes of eyes

Pulling out my sadness 

Leaving me an empty prize

Lady luck was not at my back

You smiled and looked down

For the Five seconds I had

No time to generate a noun

So what have you written

Who have you sliced and diced

Was it from your stash of slights

Bitter words are saved on ice

If you have written down

Your words all velvety

Tell me them quietly

I can be your melody

by Dave Schipper

(c) 2022 Roseriver Songs 

Cooking with Bao

 (first off Bao is pronounced like bow, as in bow and arrow)

From the farmer’s market,

To your kitchen table

Vegetables take the lead

Bao will show what’s able

Hand picked them just for you

Fresh as all can be

Radish, carrots, beets,

Even sugar snap peas

Hmong grown with pride and love

Cabbage and Potatoes, 

peppers, lettuce snd more

even cherry Tomatoes

Sit back and relax friend

She’s a sweet potato

Right from LaCrosse Local

Yes it’s Cooking with Bao

by Dave Schipper 

(c) 2022 Rose Riversongs

Thanks for the inspiration both to cook and to write this little ditty... it has music, and I love how singing it changed it up a bit from the original write. 

Here's one I know I'll be cooking this year, and Bao will show me the way.

The Eyes of Angeline

Her Argentine fam

Fled the dirty war

Escaped with no harm

Not knowing what’s in store

A new home for this teen

With the eyes of Angeline

Far from Buenos Aires

They made a life in LA

Found adversaries

Even made a record label

Yet steeped in Argentine

For the eyes of Angeline

Angeline had no fit

A non-mexican latin

Painted as snooty bitch

And cheered Argentine

Mysteries unforeseen

In the eyes of Angeline

Her jet black flowing hair

Draping a blouse of sheen

Young men would turn to see

A heart bursting at the seams

Beauty decked in blue jeans

With the eyes of Angeline

As they turned into Gringas

once a month they reached

telling tales of guerrillas

feasting upon gnocchi

An American dream

Through the eyes of Angeline.

By Dave Schipper (c) 2022 Rose Riversongs

Inspired by the playlist at : Dave's Basement Tracks. #27 Angeline

With a story line credit from : NBC Story on Sasha Pisterman. 

Follow me over at Dave's Basement Tracks

 As retirement nears, officially April 29th, I KNOW I'm going to find more time to listen to music and write.  My routine of writing each morning on a word will start back up and likely the creative juices will be flowing again.  

As for the music, well the people who might know this blog was an off shoot of the Zemmy Show, know that I've had a running passion to share my music library as a promotion of the people I listen to.  

The Zemmy Show ran for 800 posts, now Dave's Basement Tracks that originally started as a radio show is evolving to a streamable show of Bandcamp embedded links and YouTube videos.  Each post will have a theme or make a good hour radio show; yet of course you are in control as you read and click on the links that interest you.  Hope to see you there.