
(from left) Douglas Imbrogno, John Bird, Jody Herndon
Third Eye Cabaret at the Charleston Cellar, 8 Capitol St., Charleston, West Virginia showcases an eclectic blend of original music by area songwriters, musicians, singers and poets. I enjoyed experiencing Third Eye Cabaret with spoken word artist Joe Limer and Mark Husk Thursday evening. Here's a huge thank you to Douglas Imbrogno of Third Eye Cabaret and the electric folk group The Brother Sisters and to everyone involved with the stage, lighting, sound, food, etc. (Be sure to check out WestVirginiaVille.com.) I greatly enjoyed hanging out with Ginger Hamilton Caudill (check out Ginger's blog, CHICKENSCRATCHES), Karin Tauscher Fuller (see Karin's blog, Smell the Coffee on the Charleston Gazette's Community Blogs, VVarren Cutlip and Jennifer Anderson. Seeing long time friends such as Charleston area songwriter-singer-musician Jody Herndon and making new friends in the Charleston area (John Bird, Julie Watkins, Tuesday Taylor and others) was wonderful. (And I'm hoping folks in Charleston will get in touch next time they're planning a show/visit in Morgantown.) We heard so many excellent musicians Thursday. Everyone on stage inspired me. I was definitely feeling the music and the muse when I shared my poem, "The Keeper of the Mountains," which appears in "Inferno," book four of "The STARLING Series." Here's the poem for those who couldn't make it Thursday:
THE KEEPER OF THE MOUNTAINS copyright 2012 THEODORE WEBB
The Keeper’s children embrace the rising and the setting sun.
They drink from the misty tear ducts of rivers.
Their arms shelter the caterpillar, deer, beaver and bear.
The eagle soars over the children’s rugged backbones.
The oak sinks long curled fingers into timeless depths.
Life circulates through Life Infinite.
The Keeper of the Mountains built our home through billions of stars, traveling through all forms.
The Keeper’s fingertips know more than will ever be known.
Longer still the Keeper whittled the land with the waters.
Softness transforms hardness.
Who then will survive by destroying these children, by turning one’s back on the Keeper?
How can one become so hardened to those things which softness loves?