The unOfficial
Shrine
to Janis
Joplin
Our Iridescent Lady
Janis Joplin died long before I
had any idea what it meant to be a woman. As a matter of fact notions of
“woman” and “man” are still pretty much abstract generalizations floating
around. At the time Janis was just getting revved up, the
girls in my neighborhood still rolled their hair on orange juice cans every
night (OMG how DID they sleep), and generally comported themselves like
electro-shocked Barbie dolls. They behaved like servants, to be seen and NOT heard. Now we can model ourselves on Hillary Clinton, Martha Stewart,
Lisa Randall, Joan Didion, Oprah, Margaret Thatcher, Barbara McClintock
or Condoleeza Rice among a hundred thousand others -- succeed or fail big
time on our own merits. Things have improved!
Which is why Joplin is enshrined
here because she lived beyond ancient constraints,
just lived right out of the suitcase of her heart, which seems from this
distance to have usually been open to the big wide sky, receiving sunshine
and rain in equal measure -- whatever happened to be falling at the moment.
Yes, she did slam herself against
the wall of “the real world” way too hard, way too often.
| She does have her early death to
show for it, but then again, like all good creatures evolving from one
well-established state to another – a price has to be paid. The air is
harsh to fish with gills isn’t it? “Look, Freda has died right where we said
she would,” legions of everyday water breathers say as Freda floats belly
up above their heads.” |
 |
|
|
“Yeah, but look how far she
made it!” a hundred and fourteen others reply, their blood heating up
with wonder.
|
“Let’s try it, until we get it right!”
So they go on up there and give it a try.
 |
We’re still trying
to get it right.
Is that being a woman, a man, or
just plain being human?
You betcha!
|
Wherever you are right now, with
God, in the Bardo, or just in our hearts, rock on Great Mother Janis! (go
HERE
to let some of her amazing sounds BITE you where it does the most good!)
And here she is naked two ways --
open, fearless, just frakking fantastic!
Text c. 2004 TDunyati-Long (TDHawkes
)
Photo
Source
Eagle Woman Flying
