Edward C Patterson

Songs Edward C Patterson

For all the softness verse instills, there's an uncontained fire beneath, which burns until the skin wears thin and the flames burst forth. There's a time for nuance and a time for hammering, not to put a too-fine ecclesiastical point on it - and this is the time to assure the word becomes the sword - the word provokes reaction. A mighty battle is being fought by the cultural warriors in the land - a war to be recognized as equal and unique. Normal is an ubiquitous label not fit for the American collective conscious. It runs counter to the soul of the nation. So, sometimes soft words and rounded corners gives way to forthright honesty and nothing minced. There's a time when pools of verse need to coagulate into rousing song. These are my songs. You can compose the music. Anything will do as long as it's a march. This chapbook is dedicated to Maya Angelou, after I met her at the Gay & Lesbian Choral Festival in Tampa, and after she inspired - no, incited me to turn my words into anthems. Songs: Not Just Survival came from heart to head to paper in one go - a steady stream written on concert program booklets during the flight back home. It's my proudest moment as a poet because it tries to memorialize what Maya said to us - said to me. No one can tell me what I be when I be what I be. No one. Is that defiance? No! That's the founders of this nation's message to King George. Songs: Not Just Survival.