What a wonderful world

By Tom Quiner

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM]

I see trees of green…….. red roses too
I see em bloom….. for me and for you
And I think to myself…. what a wonderful world.

The  scene is Chuck’s restaurant last night.
Eighty-six year old Julius Brooks has cast a spell on us.  His eyes are closed as he sings Louis Armstrong’s iconic song.  A piano and bass back him with appropriate understatement.

I see skies of blue….. clouds of white
Bright blessed days….dark sacred nights
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world.

The song took me places. I remembered my oldest son singing it at a vocal recital some dozen years ago. I still remember the twinkle in his eyes as he made Satchmo’s song his own.

The colors of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..sayin.. how do you do
They’re really sayin……i love you.

I looked across the room. A sixty-something woman mouthed the words, her eyes closed. Her husband’s hand rested  on her shoulder. They looked happy.

I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more…..than I’ll never know
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world

I thought of the babies who will never cry.
I thought of the pending court case here in Iowa. A judge will determine if we shall increase the quantity of voiceless babies by sanctioning webcam abortion. Or will the judge give the voiceless a voice by siding with the Board of Medicine that banned telemed human abortion?

The colors of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..sayin.. how do you do
They’re really sayin…*spoken*(I ….love….you).

A middle aged woman stood up. She clearly had some sort of mental disability. She was looking around for the restroom. The busman came up. He, too, had a mental disability. He gently pointed her in the direction of the nearest facility. Such kindness and gentleness.
We each react a little differently to a special song, since we each have different memories. But for a few, brief minutes last night, all was right with the world.
Thanks, Julius.
What a wonderful song.