With everything that has been going on, I was caught completely off guard when I got in my car to travel to a tutoring session. Every year for a period of time, post-Christmas, I find myself listening to a USB stick of Sound-tracks while driving.  Not five minutes into the drive, the song “Do You Hear the People Sing,” from Les Miserables came on and I became a bit misty.

“Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be [slaves]* again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free! ~ Les Miserables Cast

In 2016, apparently this song was used in the Trump campaign, but I think unsuccessfully. I never heard any singing – a lot of bleating, perhaps – but no singing.

The mistiness was not from hopelessness, but hopefulness. With amazing children and future adults, like Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and other children from Stoneman Douglas, who are standing up and calling out the adults who should be fighting for them, and the people including me, who are rallying with them, I am hopeful.

Finally, I can hear the people sing.

L. Rose

Find your breath and keep singing, even past November 2018. ~ Linda

*In my head, I inserted “hurt, fooled, and even gunned,” in place of “slaves.”

be sure to check out the students litterally singing: https://youtu.be/sW6cXVzRnuo