Love Came Here
Love Came Here (live)
I was seated in the corner. We were all either ceremoniously boozed or properly so. The evening seemed to reach that point where conversations can quickly switch from highbrow pretension to lowbrow contempt and back again, all with little provocation. I decided that I had had enough, and so was quietly planning my grand escape while dutifully feigning rapture at a chain-smoking, gin-soaked gal seated directly across from me. She was apparently telling me something incredibly important...to her. But I knew early on that her expectations for me in this conversation weren't so much about equal input, but rather appropriately placed nods and expressions of acknowledgment. She needed someone to assure her that what she was saying was important and privileged information.
I was ready to leave.
But then on came this song. And I was instantly smitten. The barroom ambiance peeled away, taking everyone with it. I felt comfortably alone, content, and so I ordered another beverage. I decided to continue to placate the chain-smoking, gin-soaked gal with a charitable series of nods and affirmations, expressions all cleverly looped to hide its true intent. I decided to do it, if only for the duration of the song, because I realized in that moment that there is purpose in this world, and that life is not unlike an ensemble, where we all have our place, arriving and exiting on cue, speaking lines that are sometimes starring and sometimes supporting. Sometimes we need to be heard. Sometimes all we have to do is listen. And so that is what I did. I will no doubt do it again someday.
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