Strawberry Fields, Central Park, today
Apparently yesterday's antiwar demonstration didn't begin and end in Madison Square yesterday.
[Footnote: Michael Torke and A.R. Gurney collaborated on a short opera, "Strawberry Fields," inspired by the site and the memorial. Gurney tells a wonderful story and Torke makes it sing, in order that, as one character sings, "the sounds of life drown out the fear of nothingness." The one act forms part of the trilogy, "Central Park," the work of three teams of composers and librettists.]
As the Church Ladies waited for the March Against War to begin, we sang "Bush and Cheney in the White House," from "As We Gather by the River." (See churchladies.org for the current songbook.) We also distributed small signs that said "peace," as a sign from god. Yoko Ono liked the song and accepted one of the signs, as did hundreds of others. P.S. One man passing through the crowd did not accept the peace sign, explaining, "I'm for Bush."
You guys are goddesses - and I mean that in the good way!