As
a Beduin girl;
in European
guise; as the
patron saint
Mexico, the
image of
Mother Mary
abounds.
Though “Abuela
Jean,” as
my
mother was
know
throughout the
greater Puerto
Rican
community, for
her advocacy
on behalf of
their
independence
from colonial
rule, was no
saint, many
within her beloved
community
would aver
that she
richly earned
that
sobriquet. And
she was
beloved.
I
begin with a
paean to her,
each letter in
her name,
JEAN,
represented by
a note, to form
a
cascading
melody, then
on to two
of
my
compositions
on the traditional
Catholic
prayer,
Ave Maria,
between which,
as an intro to
Hail Mary, is
a tone row
piece based on
the letters in
the word “THANKSGIVING.”
For we give
thanks for the
many blessings
we enjoy.
This
is
dedicated to
my mother,
Jean Cameron
Wiley Zwickel
on this
Mother’s Day,
2020.
G*D
knows, I
loved/love my
father, and
even
memorialized
him in song.
Twice, if you
count the
interior,
Hebrew piece
in Sing To the Heart! This Dynamic Duo made a wonderful
team, my
father out
vigiling with
his Drum, my
mother, at home
writing
articles and
keeping the
books,
supporting him
in every way.
But when I
succumbed to
pressure from
friends to
write a book
about them,
and I began by
sketching
their
adventures,
where my
father may
have been more
visible, my
mother's
impact was
enormous.
Please bear in
mind that this
is just a
sketch, a work
in progress.
But rather
than working
on it and
polishing it
further and
never really
getting it
done, I will
present it
here, so that
you may better
know my
mother. You
may download
“Jean and Dr.
Abe.”
A
Man and his
Drum get
Arrested; Rev.
Earl Johnson,
Moi,
David
Hartsough, and
the Dynamic
Duo; my father
with Martin on
his beret.
Click on the
image to view
full-size
