There was literally nothing better to do. 

We were in NYC.  Our beloved friend Jodi Walker had a beautiful brand new CD.  She and Dave Walker booked 3 nights of gigs, and invited Cheryl Tomblin, Andi Donhue, and Robin and me to join them for these shows. 

It is an act of bravery to connect two worlds.  In theory, your friends would all love each other, get each other, and be able to participate in a lifetime’s worth of inside jokes.  In reality, it doesn’t always work like that.   Going home means reconciling that you left, who you have become, and in who’s company you have become it.  It can be tricky. 

But when it works, it WORKS.  Jodi’s friends loved the show.  The bar owner loved the show, and kept asking when we could come back.  Their friends loved us, and we loved their friends!  Hooray. 

At the end of this thrilling weekend, the very last night was not able to go forward as planned. The singer/songwriters among us were not going to be able to be part of the show after all, and there was, quite literally, nothing better for us to do. 

I remember the moment when we decided to try it.  Writing together.  Jodi, Cheryl, Andi and I.  All four of us were getting tired..but once the notebook and pens were on the table, we came alive. 

The sounds of the crowd disappeared, and speaking for myself, my heart started beating faster.  We passed the notebook between us for several pages, each of us writing a line then passing it on, not looking at what the person just ahead of us was writing, so we could come to it fresh.  Then, devouring their line, we strove for our own next line to be worthy of what came before. 

This probably continued for only 20 minutes or so, yet it is one of my fondest memories of that weekend.  Here are the first four lines: 

“You can say it isn’t real, or say it isn’t true 

But the burn is real as real as a halogen, and it burns for you 

Finding my way home by the light of the moon 

And I know you’ll be there waiting, wait love, I’ll be back there soon.” 

The Haiku Milieu: Collaboration concert takes place on April 24.  More than 20 artists are bringing something new to life, and we will share them in an online gathering.  Keep an eye on jennybienemann.com for details.  Hope you can join us.