Donya Wicken
2 January 2015 Today's Wake-up Pages visitor was a sweet, gentle soul who waited patiently for me to get out my notebook. N: I'm Nelson. I'm trying to find my trombone. I left it in the hotel. I need it for the concert tonight. I play with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. I ran out without my trombone. The building was shaking. Everyone ran outside. I was terrified. I didn't stop for anything. Me: Did the shaking stop? N: It must have. M: Can you go back inside? N: The hotel is gone. I'm in a space. Gray empty. This isn't how San Francisco looks. Even an earthquake wouldn't erase everything. M: I'll get Ben. B: Hello Nelson, I'm Ben. N: Can you help me find my trombone? B: Nelson, you are dead. Your trombone was dug out of the rubble only slightly damaged and given to your brother. N: What am I supposed to do now? B: You are ready to move on to the Timeless Spaceless place. It's where we go to start over, where creation happens. N: Do I have to go? I loved San Francisco and our orchestra. It was all my dreams come true. B: Is there anything you might have wanted to do differently? N: Well yes. I might have been a trumpet player. I adore the sound of a trumpet. I would love to be a trumpet soloist. B: You could work that into your plans for your next life. N: I stopped in New Orleans for a while on my way west. I would love to play like those colored boys play. I wouldn't want to be colored because they live such very hard lives. But it would almost be worth it to be able to make music like that. B: Let's head on over to the TSP and you can start planning your next gig. N: I don't know where to go. B: Listen. What do you hear? N: I hear music. What a wonderful sound. B: Just follow the music. (sings) "Oh when when the saints go marching in..." N: I must hear more. B: I'll march along with you for a while. (sings) "Oh Lord I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in." Donya Wicken: An odd little foot note. I was trying to figure out if Nelson might have known "When the Saints Go Marching In." He evidently died in the 1906 earthquake so the song would have to be older than that. While I was googling I came across a reference to Wynton Marsalis. I suddenly felt like crying. I asked Ben what I was feeling and he said, "That's who Nelson is now."
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Donya helps Ben tell his stories about the life beyond 3DWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories
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