String Theory
Love Is The Canvas We Painted On • The Rapper And The Rancher - Part 3
One Minute Wit
String Theory
About five years ago, I started out to set the record for the world’s biggest ball of string.
Eventually, it grew so large that I got concerned about it throwing the Earth’s rotation out of whack. People get mad when you do that.
So I put cups on each end of the string, and now I use it to talk to my friends in Australia.
Poem
Love Is The Canvas We Painted On
Life together began,
a canvas blank
With tentative hands,
we painted blue skies
and sunshine
There was joy in our strokes
Soon mountains appeared,
daunting to climb
Tears smudged the image
Disagreements blemished our art
The work was hard and uneven
Painting together is no simple feat
We persisted
Our skill grew
We began working in unison,
a singular purpose,
two artists becoming one
The painting became more focused,
more detailed
We painted life,
images we would leave behind
A painting our children would hang in their thoughts
We painted memories
We painted us
We painted love
Story
The Rapper And The Rancher • Part 3
Last time, Issac (the rapper) and Brandon (the rancher) met at an open mic in Nashville and decided to write songs together.
After a short walk, they arrived at Isaac’s apartment. The apartment wasn’t big, but it was huge compared to New York standards. And it was furnished.
“Your room is right there. I got a two-bedroom hoping to get a roommate. It’s cheaper that way.”
Brandon walked into his room. It wasn’t anything special, but he didn’t care. He was here to focus on becoming famous. Then he would get a big house of his own.
“This will do just fine,” Brandon said and walked back into the living room.
“Alright. Let’s try some songwriting,” Isaac said.
“How do you want to go about it?” Brandon replied.
“You got anything you are working on?”
“Sure. Plenty.”
“Alright, just start playing one, so I can hear the melody.”
“What about the words? They probably aren’t good.”
“It don’t matter. Just sing them or make something up. Or sing la, la, la. I am going to change the words anyway. Lyrics are my thing. You’re the melody man.”
“I like that, “Brandon said and smiled.
Brandon played a song, and Isaac recorded it on his phone.
“Cool. I got this. You go ahead and relax or do whatever you want. I am going to start working on lyrics for this song,” Isaac said.
“Okay. I think I’ll go do some exploring around here and see what is what. Maybe go see Julie again.”
“Man, you just got to town. Don’t go getting hung up on no girl. We got songs to write,” Isaac said.
“Can’t help it. She’s as pretty a girl as I ever seen. And clever too. I’m going to marry a girl like that. Probably her.”
Isaac shook his head and laughed. “You’re a trip.”
Brandon headed out the door. Isaac played back the song on his phone and began scratching words onto a piece of paper.
Brandon came back a few hours later with a bag of burgers and fries for both of them.
“Check this out B,” Isaac said to Brandon as he handed him a sheet of paper. “Try singing these lyrics.”
Brandon put the sheet down on the coffee table and grabbed his guitar. After a few tries, he got a feel for the lyrics. He started to smile. They were good.
“Shoot fire. These are good! Way better than anything I ever wrote. Let’s go down to The Hat Rack and try it out.”
“We’ll have to wait ’till tomorrow. They only do open mic during the day.”
“Dang it. Well, let’s go hear the band that’s playing tonight. I bet they ain’t got nothing as good as our song.”
“Let’s eat first,” Isaac said as he unwrapped a burger.
“Good plan.”
The next day Isaac and Brandon went down to The Hat Rack.
When Julie saw them, she said, “You boys are becoming regulars.”
“Hey, Julie. I’m back to sing again,” Brandon said.
“You don’t give up easy, do you?”
“Nope. But this time I got a good song. Isaac wrote the words.”
“Well, I’m ready to be dazzled,” Julie replied.
“You will be. Count on it.”
Julie smiled and took them to a table.
When it was Brandon’s turn, he got up and sang their new song. When he finished, everyone clapped. Brandon was thrilled. He left the stage with a smile as wide as Texas.
Isaac was pumped also, but he played it cool. Only breaking into a smile when Brandon grabbed him by the arms and shook him.
“I knew it was good! That was the best moment in my life,” Brandon said.
A few minutes later, Julie walked over, set down two beers, and said, “That was a good song, fellas. Keep it up.”
“Thanks,” Isaac said.
Brandon still had a huge grin on his face and said, “I knew it was a good song when I was singing, and I saw you smile, Julie.”
“Well then, write another good song and make me smile again.”
“We’re gonna do that. Lots of them. Right, Isaac?”
“I hope so.”
That night they wrote another song. It became a daily ritual. Not all of the songs were great, but several of them were good. And they were getting better. Brandon started giving Isaac guitar lessons, although he got frustrated at first.
“I can’t do it, B.”
“Sure you can. Just stick to it. You just got to train your hands to go to the chords. You only need to learn the major chords and a handful of minor chords, and you can play a million songs.”
Isaac slowly started getting the hang of playing guitar. Fortunately, he had lots of time to practice. Brandon had a considerable amount of money. He refused to let Isaac get a job, insisting that he focus only on songwriting and learning guitar. He was getting better at both every day. And Brandon was starting to get noticed for his singing and playing. Good songs helped in that department.
One afternoon Brandon’s phone rang. It was Julie.
“Brandon, you need to come to open mic today.”
“Sure. Why?”
“Sam Westbound is going to show up.”
“Who’s Sam Westbound?”
“You need to start paying attention. Sam Westbound is one of the biggest producers in Nashville. If he likes your singing or your songs, it could be a big break for you. Sing She Knows My Face, Not My Heart for him.”
“I’m on my way. Thanks, Julie.”
Happy Monday. Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
Okay. Love is the canvas officially made me cry. I hope you wrote that about your marriage. It certainly is a reflection of mine. My daughter is an artist and caligrapher. I would love for her to put this on canvas to hang in our house. May I have your permission to do that?
“Love is the Canvas” is such a beautiful and touching poem. It perfectly captures the journey of marriage. It might be one of my all-time favorites of yours (of the more serious variety).
Great stuff all around, Mark!