Angelia Dotson's Kiss in the Rain, playing now. Click the  button to hear Reese Hawkins' Burdens of Mountains, and again to hear Shawn Jones' Postcards and Secrets. Click it again for Eric Mobley's Secrets Inside, Not Pretty and Dull the Blade. |
To help open the show — hanging until September 20 — the Yeiser, the Paducah Writers Group, Guerrilla Poetry, Black Ink and iList Paducah invited several musicians to select postcards and write songs about them. Here's a look at what they performed during the last month's reception:
Angelia Dotson, "Kiss in the Rain"Postcard picked:
The words say, "I will never be that girl you kissed in the rain." I'm completely in love with the rain, and when I saw that postcard, it tugged on my heartstrings. I feel that a kiss in the rain is one of the most passionate displays of affection — and it's perfect wording for the way many people feel about the person they love but know they can never have. I hoped I'd be able to convey the exact emotion the girl who wrote it felt.
Your message to the postcard writer? I'd tell her she's not alone. I have felt that exact same way, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'd love to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything will be alright because what's meant to be will be.
I don't think there's much you can say to a person with a broken heart that will help them other than letting them know someone is there, you're not going through this alone. That simple fact helps many people get through the harder times in life.
Reese Hawkins, "Burdens of Mountains"Postcard picked:
My card read, "I want to die a hero." And it had a picture of a man who'd been mauled or hurt severely, being held by a crying woman.
I think that is a human want, almost need, to be looked up to in such a manner. To be seen as more than a man, or woman — to be revered.
Heroes have always been a big part of human culture, so when I sat down to pen my song, I figured I would write it from the perspective of a hero telling his story.
Your message to the postcard writer?
Don't worry…so do I. We all do.
Shawn Jones, "Postcards and Secrets"Postcard picked:
I went to the Post Secret Web site, but it was hard to pick just one postcard to write about. So I wrote about the whole concept.
The song says, "Postcards and secrets, places you've been to. Posting your stories, drawing me to you. I feel your pain, I've been searching too. You're not alone in how you feel." To me, that's what the Post Secret project is about for many people.
Your message to Frank Warren?
I would thank him for his gift to so many. After viewing the gallery, I felt this has obviously given so many an opportunity to go public with the things they hide inside — a chance to say, even though anonymously, "I'm not perfect." And in their viewing, find that they are not alone!
Eric Mobley, "Secrets Inside"
Postcard picked:
The card read, "I have a secret inside me. I hurts like hell, and I want to let it out, but I don't know what it is."
This card touched a personal and familiar note inside me. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago, I understand what it is like to have feelings that defy expectations. I know what it is like to not even be certain whether something was real or not. "Did that really happen, or am I just making it up?" Nevertheless, the feelings are real, whether the situation was or not.
It is hard however, to talk about an unexplained emotion. How do you start? Like the picture on the card, the real reason is often rooted in one tree among many, deep in a dark forest. If I could find the specific tree, I would cut it down, but which one is it?Your message to the postcard writer?
I really have no idea what I would say, except, "I understand exactly what you mean," and, "If you figure something out - let me know!"
Eric Mobley, "Not Pretty"Postcard picked:
The card reads, "I have a universe of beauty, magic, love and wonder in my mind and heart, but I'm not pretty. I think I will be alone forever."
This one broke my heart. It hurt for her to say that.
My wife and I have an ongoing discussion about the place of feminism in society and about gender roles in interpersonal relationships. Beauty, personality and competence seem to be the major themes around this issue. Usually, and unfortunately, in that order.
I also know this person. Maybe not the actual author, but I am dear friends with someone who could have written this. I feel this person's pain like only a fat, redheaded, shy little boy could understand. I wished to immortalize this beautiful, if not very pretty, creature. I wished to show her flaws and lift her amazing talents. To simply tell her story.
The bridge is particularly important, because it shows that you will miss, when you miss out on this girl.
Your message to the postcard writer?
All I could really tell her would simply be, "I'm sorry. We love you."
Eric Mobley, "Dull the Blade"
Postcard picked:
The last song was not really written for the project, but a few weeks before. I thought it really went with the theme, though.
"Dull the Blade" deals with the letting go of secrets and troubles. Time "dulls the blade" of painful experiences and brings prospective. My favorite line is, "The reason for this feeling, has been the reason for this song all along." Sometimes the only reason for the pain is simply to have a story to write about.
Your message to Frank Warren?
I believe the main message to the Post Secret project is letting go. I was depressed reading all of the cards at the exhibit. There was some seriously heavy stuff, and it weighed on my heart for days. But I have a feeling that most of the authors actually slept the night they mailed their card. Maybe for the first time in a long time.
Your message to the postcard writers?
I, by reading their secrets, shared in some of their pain, and removed some of its power over them. I pray they all find a small amount of peace.
Mike CaponeMike Capone also performed. Visit his MySpace page to hear his great music.
