They brought a woman from the street And made her sit in the stalls By threats By bribes By flattery Obliging her to share a little of her life with actors
But I don't understand art
Sit still, they said
But I don't want to see sad things
Sit still, they said
And she listened to everything Understanding some things But not others Laughing rarely, and always without knowing why Sometimes suffering disgust Sometimes thoroughly amazed And in the light again, said
If that's art I think it is hard work It was beyond me So much beyond my actual life
But something troubled her Something gnawed her peace And she came a second time, armoured with friends
Sit still, she said
And again, she listened to everything This time understanding different things This time untroubled that some things Could not be understood Laughing rarely but now without shame Sometimes suffering disgust Sometimes thoroughly amazed And in the light again said
This is art, it is hard work And one friend said, too hard for me And the other said, if you will I will come again Because I found it hard I felt honoured
I grew up in Novi, MI and traveling to Frakenmuth and visiting the Christmas Store along the way around the holidays is probably something that every man, woman and child should do before they die.
Britski: Not gonna lie, when Lance and I road-trip from New York to Traverse City last JULY we stopped in Frankenmuth out of Side-show-esque curiosity. Obviously Bronner's was Frankenmuth CENTRAL and when we entered we entered prepared to be frightened (exactly @AK-- scary.) Anyway, as we walked up and down the ENTIRE 14 mile store, browsing each section, carefully being drawn in, we slowly discovered that we WERE in fact totally won over. WE FOUND THE "WONDER" in the Bronner's Christmas "WONDER-LAND!!"
By the time we left we had not only spent over $100, we were totally overwhelmed by how...oddly *moving* and wholesome and utterly well-meaning and lovely the journey was.
Glad that you found it! It's probably the best Christmas store I have ever been in, and like many other things in Michigan, in the center of somewhere "scary." hah
As a Michigander I'm assuming you have also been to Mackinac Island? If not, it's another one of Michigan's many beautiful wonders. The fudge there is to die for too...just saying.
I grew up in Novi, MI and traveling to Frakenmuth and visiting the Christmas Store along the way around the holidays is probably something that every man, woman and child should do before they die.
ReplyDeleteSCARY!
ReplyDeleteBritski: Not gonna lie, when Lance and I road-trip from New York to Traverse City last JULY we stopped in Frankenmuth out of Side-show-esque curiosity. Obviously Bronner's was Frankenmuth CENTRAL and when we entered we entered prepared to be frightened (exactly @AK-- scary.) Anyway, as we walked up and down the ENTIRE 14 mile store, browsing each section, carefully being drawn in, we slowly discovered that we WERE in fact totally won over. WE FOUND THE "WONDER" in the Bronner's Christmas "WONDER-LAND!!"
ReplyDeleteBy the time we left we had not only spent over $100, we were totally overwhelmed by how...oddly *moving* and wholesome and utterly well-meaning and lovely the journey was.
Bronner's sure showed US!
Glad that you found it! It's probably the best Christmas store I have ever been in, and like many other things in Michigan, in the center of somewhere "scary." hah
ReplyDeleteAs a Michigander I'm assuming you have also been to Mackinac Island? If not, it's another one of Michigan's many beautiful wonders. The fudge there is to die for too...just saying.