My favorite room in the world is in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
The Soref Rotunda, for me, surpasses even the rooms at the
L’Orangerie in Paris with its perfectly sized Monet’s Waterlilies
that take up the entire space.
The Soref takes up my entire space with its iconic, to me
balls of light illuminating the most amount of magic
i’ve experienced in any location. (even when they’re off
during our purposefully moody experiences.)
I think the faculty this year, said it best, when they said
everything they said. These are some of the highlights –
Strap in.
I just want to sit there breathing more.
No public nuts.
As you are oohing.
We’re getting there, y’all.
Run with all your light until you can find me.
I’m so full.
I was arguing with a kindergartner about the sun.
Every conceived emotion happens in this room.
When it’s done with our voices for the year
they have to call in the water remediation and repair people
to clear up all the tears before their summer begins.
At Hava Nashira, you will get wet.
There are angels everywhere in this room –
At the microphones, in the stereo voices behind me,
certainly in the seat next to me.
Only angels can exist in this room.
Angels that say things like –
Take a deep breath in through your face
We are multitudes
Again, or for the first time, or for the first time
…………again.
My least favorite thing in the world is to leave this room.
When the assigned time comes, I stand in the middle
surrounded by the balls of light, and the trickling away of angels
and the weight of its impending distance sticks me to the floor
with a gravity the scientists say is impossible.
Until the room starts to turn, and the shuttles start to go
and the airline reminds me – that plane isn’t going to board itself.
Thank God the open mic ended just in time for this to happen.
And so I do my least favorite thing, and leave this room, and these lights
and these angels. It’s terrible in a way, but the music, new and old and remembered
and the voices, new and old and remembered, usher me on their wings
for another year of work and anticipation of return.
We are the multitudes
pining for small t-shirts
pining for each other
pining for our favorite room
And we will return.