Songs of the Potomac (audio)

These past weeks have been filled with the strong noises of political discourse. In the midst of our reporting, a collegue and I went to the Potomac to walk the banks of the river that Washington D.C was built by. This river has seen millenia, a time long before this area was consumed by the politics of today. In fact, this region was part of the land where the Iroquois Confederacy thrived, a great influence upon our modern democracy.

The Potomac is heavily polluted, as are many rivers of our land. While walking along the river promenade, we mused over the children laughing at the balloon artist, the joggers running by, couples cuddled on benches and the sounds of river ferrys going to and fro. We asked people about their views on the nearing election. It was an evening of reflection upon the beauty of the moment not consumed by political banter.

A gentleman set up a table and began to arrange sixty glasses on it and filled them with water. One by one, he tuned them by sliding his wet fingers over the rim of each glass. As he began to play music on this harp of glasses, a crowd drew around. With expert precision, he played us the classical masterpiece of Händel's “Water Music" and a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. These melodies filled the evening air and welcomed all passersby. These old compositions from the past blended with the sounds of the Potomac.

In completion of Yes! Magazine's D.C.-Blog, I want to thank each and every one of you who have journeyed through this election with me, reading my D.C. blog, by sharing these songs with you. May these songs soothe the heart and inspire us with creativity for the efforts of these next years to come.

Best, Alysa

Enjoy:
Real Audio Stream
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The musician is Jamey Turner.