Ella is not autistic, and has only been labeled with a “severe speech delay” and an “information processing disorder.” Yet, she has quirks. Supermarket quirks. Screaming-for-no-reason-in-the-supermarket quirks.
She hates loud noises, which I find ironic, because of her immense capability for creating vociferous noise. She also hates what she deems “scary music.” Apparently, Mahler’s 3rd symphony falls into this category. She shrieked and carried on so that I had to turn it off. With her lip out (she is an extremely proficient pouter) she requested “Busey.”
And my mind immediately went to… Gary Busey, of course.
“You wanna watch Speed?” I asked.
She marched to the piano and handed me my Debussy music. So I played a shoddy version of Clair De Lune while she happily played with her My Little Pony at my feet.
So to the people who give us reproachful looks at the supermarket, in the church foyer, and at the play museum-
We are doing our best here with what God has given us.
And if they ever cared to know, Ella, I would tell them that you are
Golliwogg’s playmate,
Jimbo’s friend,
You are a jaunty cakewalk
And a Saturday afternoon reverie.
You are
The siren who dwells
Within the sunken cathedral
And the muffled song beneath la mer.
My petit… blanc.
You are dissonance
And melody,
You are dancing snow
And every nocturne that
Sways me to dreams.
The light of my moon,
My Debussy girl.
7 comments:
Apparently Gary Busey was NOT in Speed. Jeff Daniels was the character I was thinking of, though Gary Busey did star with Keanu Reeves in Point Break?
Thank you to the person who pointed out this crucial bit of information to me.
This post brought me to tears...and almost inspired me to dig through my CDs and turn on some 'Busey' here (because I don't know how to play Clair de Lune on the piano, only one Bach Minuet, plus the introduction of a schmaltzy choral number I accompanied back in the 7th grade), except that my own girl is napping -- my daughter whose composer of preference has yet to be determined but whose very existence I will always associate with Beethoven's 9th because I got to see my dear dad sing in that symphony the month of his heart surgery, which evidently inspired God to create our sweet Cordelia, whose name means "heart," who did not sleep very well last night but is sleeping now, and so I shan't "play" any 'Busey'...but maybe later.
Ella likes when I practice Beethoven's Waldstein sonata. As long as I use the soft pedal:)
I am so looking forward to meeting Cordelia...
What a beautiful little girl. Every time I read your blog I feel smarter....
Hi - I actually watched that episode of parenthood (mostly bc i saw the preview and wanted to know what prompted the punching) and despite the many rude comments the ignorant guy in the supermarket made to the dad and the autistic son, the father managed to keep himself under control until the guy called his child a "retard". Which personally i think fully warrants a punch, notwithstanding the whole turn the other cheek business... Sometimes a dad just needs to be the protector.
Definitely worthy of a punch. Did the father get arrested?
nope - typical for TV-land, there was no arrest or even a lawsuit, which was highly unrealistic given the character of the guy he hit. but maybe there was an off screen cash settlement :)
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