A few weeks ago, I went to Yoshi's in Oakland to hear Deniece Williams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deniece_Williams
For many, Deniece Williams is best remembered for having been part of the Kevin Bacon Universe with her No. 1 Pop song from the movie
Footloose ... Let's Hear It For The Boy
However, for me, there were two memorable r&b songs that were better than Let's Hear It For The Boy
Free
and It's Gonna Take A Miracle
And then there was my favorite song of all ... a song that I play at least once every week
Silly
During the concert, Deniece explained the genesis for her writing Silly. She explained that the words for the song came from the painful ending of a relationship many many years ago. I suppose because of the emotion associated with the song, it was the show closer. Amazingly, after 37 years she still was able to hit all the high notes while singing this song ... a song obviously born out of pain.
I was thrilled to hear all of these songs being sung so well by the artist who not only made them but, in the case of Silly, had actually wrote the song as well. It was a special night and one that I will remember ... for as long as remembering is something that I can do.
However, while I was thrilled to hear Deniece's great solo hits, one that stayed with me after the show w,as a song that I had never fully appreciated ... Black Butterfly.
In the introduction to the song, Deniece told the metaphorical story of a gentle man who came across a butterfly struggling to emerge from a cocoon. Out of the kindness of his heart, the gentle man decided to help the butterfly by cutting the cocoon so that the butterfly could more readily emerge. The gentle man was successful. The butterfly emerged from the cocoon and was able to spread its beautiful wings. However, because it had not struggled enough to emerge from the cocoon on its own, the wings were not strong enough. So beautiful as the wings may have been, they were useless and the butterfly was never able to fly.
Deniece extrapolated this story to tell the audience that the troubles and travails they had as black people may seem difficult to bear at times. However, if black folks can simply manage to continue to struggle, one day they would emerge from their cocoon and be beautiful black butterflies that could fly.
I think this version of the song and the images in the video convey what Deniece meant
It is difficult for me to argue with such a message and with such images, but a few days later, I accompanied my daughter on a business trip to Sedona, Arizona. My daughter had been invited to Sedona because the Pink store she manages was being recognized as one of the top Pink stores in the nation and, in recognition of her contribution, she was invited to join the Gathering of Angels as they attended the Angel Institute being convened at the Enchantment Resort. It was at the Gathering of Angels that she was to receive her platinum wings. However, to get there she had to fly on a plane, ... a task that terrifies her. So, being the Dad, I had to make sure she got on the plane ... and to her destination ... so that she could get her wings.
I succeeded in getting her on the plane and to Sedona and then we parted ways. After all, she was invited to the Gathering of Angels, I was not, and the Enchantment Resort is way, way beyond my price range. So while she was living the life of an angel, I was relegated to mere mortal tourist ways. One of the tourist things I did was to venture to the iconic and otherworldly beautiful Chapel of the Holy Cross
Stepping inside the chapel, one is immediately mesmerized by the newly installed 33 foot tall sculpture of Jesus on the Cross
The chapel and the sculpture compel one to sit for a moment and contemplate life. And it was in that moment of contemplation that the black butterfly metaphor took on additional meaning. It seemed to me that in many ways, whether we are black, white, brown, tan, or peach our life here on earth is much like the life of a caterpillar in a cocoon. During our stay here, our experiences shape and mold us in preparation for a transformation. It is how we deal with those experiences that determines how we one day emerge from the cocoon. It is those experiences that determine not only whether we will have wings ... but also whether we will fly.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
