Crying. . .

Two things moved me to tears today.
First, I listened to MLK's speech for the n-zillionth time.

But this time, on the heels of what is about to happen tomorrow, it made me cry.

Now, I'm listening to our choir singing Pablo Casals' Nigra Sum, which uses text from Song of Solomon in the Old Testament. It opens with "I am black and beautiful". Granted, the Song of Solomon refers to a sun-darkened shepherdess, and in the original context, the words narrate a love story, but I think the text is befitting to our current context—particularly the ending:

For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on earth;

The time of singing has come,

text excerpted from here

The piece is sensual and quite beautiful.
Today, it too, made me cry.

Here is a recording by a decent-sounding boys choir.

The time of singing has indeed come. Fitting, no?

And now, I should head to bed, so I can catch the inauguration bright and early.