The poem, Walt Whitman in 1989, was originally composed for the AIDS Quilt Songbook, a collection of songs commissioned by American lyrical baritone William Parker in response to the “stigma surrounding, ignorance of, and grief caused by the spread of HIV/AIDS”
The original poem, written by Perry Brass reads in part:
"I will carry this young man
to your bank. I’ll put him myself
on one of your strong, flat boats,
and we’ll sail together all the way
through evening.”
After the original debut of the AIDS Quilt Songbook in 1992, fellow singer, William Sharp, described Parker’s reaction as “absolutely glowing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so happy. It seemed to be literally sustaining his life.” Tonight on a Curious Ear we’ll hear music from Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Australia, Ukraine and more, thats calls on us to, as Parker himself did, sustain our joy, sustain our life, even in the darkest of times, as we sail together all the way though this dark evening.
This to the full episode here.
Show Notes:
Walt Whitman in 1989 - Chris DeBlasion
Kyle Jones
from Dualities (Neuma Records)
https://kylejonessax.bandcamp.com/album/dualities
Monarch Butterflies’ Moonlight Symphony - Elissa Goodrich
from Migrations Sounds (Cities and Memory)
https://citiesandmemory.bandcamp.com/album/migration-sounds
Temporary Stored - KMRU
from Temporary Stored
https://kmru.bandcamp.com/album/temporary-stored
Today, Everything is behind me - Natlia Tsupryk
https://nataliatsupryk.bandcamp.com/track/today-everything-is-behind-me
Vision of Contentment - Joep Beving and Maarten Vos
https://maartenvos.bandcamp.com/album/vision-of-contentment