Landslide

Lately, I've been missing my dad a lot. I'm a page of text with too much white space. Noise with no sound. The creativity and boldness and joy I bring to the front of the classroom-- I look for him from that place. 
Dad's date of birth: March 9, 1949. Maybe why I've been thinking about him this month.
I showed his basic training photograph when we discussed the Vietnam draft in class.
I've been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" all during February.

Anyway. And so on. I think about the music we discussed. I have a habit of showing music videos in class and discussing them, breaking them down by lyric lines and themes. This is probably, I finally realized, because Dad and I always did this. Or rather, I sat there and listened while he went on and on about some song or other.  So I thought I would try and come up with a list of all the songs he and I broke down.

Oh, mirror in the sky 
What is love? 
Can the child within my heart rise above? 

1. Steve Winwood "Higher Love"

2. 'Til Tuesday "Voices Carry"

3. Quarterflash "Harden My Heart"

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? 
Can I handle the seasons of my life? 

4. Sting "The Russians"

5. The Bangles "Walk Like an Egyptian"

6. Murray Head "One Night in Bangkok"

Well, I've been afraid of changing 
'Cause I've built my life around you 


7. Madonna "Like a Prayer"

8. The Eagles "Peaceful, Easy Feeling"

9. Kenny Loggins "Meet Me Halfway"

But time makes you bolder 
Children get older 
I'm getting older too 


10. Donna Summers "She Works Hard for the Money"

11. Poco "Crazy Love" (on this one, he also wrote out the guitar chords for me, it remains the one and only song I've ever been able to play on the guitar)

12. Bruce Hornsby "That's Just the Way It Is"

13. Don Henley "Dirty Laundry"

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills 
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down 

Maybe I can remember more if I try.