Chapel
(Setup
– easel with large foam core signs, symbol playing monkeys, big hat, dinocoat.)
Good
morning. Over the summer some feet to
feet students and I went to a conference and we did energizers, and I thought
they were a pain, but I made one up and now I want inflict it on you. It goes
like this:
I am an
anemone
sensing
my surroundings (wave hands and fingers
way above head and sway)
when
I'm finding nourishment
my
heart is open wide (hold arms
outstretched)
I am an
anemone
sensing
my surroundings (wave hands and fingers
way above head and sway)
when I
am offended I
turn
myself inside. (tuck arms into belly and
bend forward)
Ok. Now everybody stand up, come on, and let’s do
it together:
I am an
anemone
sensing
my surroundings
when
I’m finding nourishment
my
heart is open wide
I am an
anemone
sensing
my surroundings
when I
am offended I
turn
myself inside.
See? Isn’t that painful? Ok sit down and relax. No more energizers.
Chapel
Talk
I like
chapel because sometimes I can stand up here do goofy stuff in front of
people. I don’t know why but I have
always liked to do that. The best thing
is that YOU can do a chapel too. If you
are interested, see Mrs. Mitchell or let me or any other teacher know so we can
help you schedule it. Now, I am inspired
by you, and want to hear what you have to say, but you have my permission not
to listen to me. Just act like you are because civility says so. But I believe in what I’m saying, even though
it doesn’t really make much sense.
This
year there is not as much time for chapels so I’d like to do 4 chapels at once
since most of you know how to multitask.
But I shouldn’t use the word “chapel” because I’m not that religious so
I’ll just call them Hollerings.
-----------------------------------------
Hollering
1 – God Stuff
I
did a thing called Open Mind that
is sort of about god stuff, and I’m still pretty open. Probably because I’m cracked and even though
god stuff keeps pouring in it just leaks out of the holes in my brain. Even though I’ve been literally beaten by the
Bible Belt all of my life, I don’t know much about God stuff. As I get older, Bible stories sound more and
more like Greek mythology. It is full of
fantastic super hero situations and violence and mayhem and rules. But like the other myths, it is trying to
express complicated knowledge about how we ought to live. I just take the all of the fairy tale stuff
with a big chunk of
----------------------------------
Hollering
2 – Care Team
I
gave a long speech a few years ago about my younger days and why I’m involved
with the Care
Team. I thought it might make a
difference, but nope. It just made me
feel better. We still know students and
adults who get stoned and/or drunk, privately and at parties. Maybe not as many, but it still goes on. And no wonder. We tell you how bad it is while we show you
how fun it is, and tell you how you have to wait until you’re 21 to be socially
responsible drinkers and have fun like us.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
This whole thing is a mooshey and emotional and physiological and social
mess. But if you’re interested you can go to this website: http://www.webbschool.com/mquinn/,
and
click on the weird flashing picture at the bottom of the page. I’d be happy to talk with you about it. Feel free to e-mail me if you can’t find the
time, especially this semester.
------------------------------
Hollering
3 – Stump Song
Over the summer I wrote a song
and I want to sing it, but I can’t sing, so I’m just going to holler it at you:
-------------------------------
Just a
Stump Song
(click to listen)
Sit and kindly listen to my
story of a Tree
and a boy and a girl and a vision
and me.
About a hundred years ago, maybe
a little more,
a squirrel picked up an acorn
and he made a little bore
and he packed it in his pocket
of the loving Mother Earth
and he ran away and left it for
the miracle of birth.
Oh, he’s got vision.
Then the pocket puckers open and
the Tree begins to sprout
and it grows into the sunshine
and her limbs are branching out,
and the laughter and the
learning that collect within her shade
are included in the rings within
the heartwood she has made.
Oh, she’s got vision.
Then she grows into the heavens
and she grows into the Earth
and she grows into the memories
recorded in her girth,
and the people gather ‘round her
and admire her, ‘till her age
causes lofty limbs to wither to
a precarious stage,
and a man looks up
and sees a limb that one day
and for the sake
of safety has our Tree cut to the ground.
Oh, he’s got vision.
And the people saw a shadow
instead of the mighty Tree
and they asked themselves and
others if this was necessary,
and instead of talking ugly and
continuing to grump
they formed a group to renovate
the Tree’s remaining Stump.
Oh, they’ve got vision.
And instead of using chainsaws
and instead of going fast,
they chipped away with hand
tools that would make the process last
so that everyone that wanted to
contribute to the Tree
would have time to take
advantage of the opportunity,
because things
don’t have to be completed right away, my friend,
when the process
is considered to be greater than the end.
Oh, tunnel vision.
And they worked between their
duties to their teachers and their peers
and they found that their
commitment may take a couple of years,
and they left it for the summer
to return to work that fall,
but they hadn’t
met a deadline they knew nothing of at all
so the stump was ground to bits
and then the ground was smooth and clean
and the Tree to be remembered is
now lost within the Green.
Oh, where’s the Vision?
Now it really, really bothers me
and now I wonder why
people look right through each
other when they don’t see eye to eye.
And I wonder why I’m singing
this peculiar little song
because I’m not really saying if
I’m right or if I’m wrong.
I’m just letting
out some sounds because I’m wanting to be heard
‘cause it’s not
about the Tree as much as it’s about our Word,
for all Living Things must die,
this means the Humans and the Trees,
but our Word lives on forever,
longer than our memories,
and our Word is our beginning
and our Word
and our Word is only Good if we
can keep it True, my Friend.
So to those of you I promised
would have opportunity
to return to work and finish the
Memorial to Our Tree,
I ask for your forgiveness, and
my throat contains a lump
as my Word disintegrated with
the grinding of the Stump.
Oh, I need Vision.
----------------------------------------------
If any
of you folks want to help make some cutting boards for the Parents Association
Auction then let me know sometime real soon.
---------------------------------
Hollering
4 – Middle Aged Crazy and the Minds of Mayhem (put on P.T. Pickens hat and dinosaur coat uncover 9 crazy looking jolly chimp mechanical monkeys)
Hello. I’m Middle Aged Crazy, and this is my band,
the Minds of Mayhem. You know, we live in a strange and
wonderful world, and sometimes bad things happen, and some time good things
happen, and sometimes weird things happen.
This may be all three depending on your perspective, but we’d like to do
a little song for you that was written by us, and other folks:
Sometimes
it's OK to have fun.
(tune here, sort of)
Sometimes it's OK to have fun.
Sometimes it's OK not to worry 'bout the day,
Sometimes it's OK to have fun.
I don't want to hear about war.
I don't even know what it's for.
We would never kill were we wise enough to deal,
I don't want to hear about war.
I don't need to purchase your stuff.
I believe I have quite enough.
Working just for pay is a waste of a good day,
I don't need to purchase your stuff.
Sometimes I grow tired of school,
I don't want to follow the rule
Keeping me in line with your conservative whine,
Sometimes I grow tired of school.
In spite of the darkness and fear
Our hearts and our visions are clear
We
In spite of the darkness and fear.
Now why can't we all just be nice
without always naming a price?
Just do something good because you know that you should
Now why can't we all just be nice
We should all just do a good deed.
every living day of the week.
One in which we give from ourselves in how we live.
something that somebody else needs.
I
am glad for family and friends
They are where the emptiness ends
They
I am glad for family and friends.
Sometimes it's OK to have fun.
Sometimes it's OK to have fun.
Sometimes it's OK not to worry 'bout the day,
Sometimes it's OK to have fun.
p.
michael quinn
4
october, 2006