A Swinging Day

by Ernie McCray

Duke Ellington wrote
the melody to
and Ella Fitzgerald sang
the words to
“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”
And that has always
been my thing,
giving in to
the swing of things.
Like the other day
while my family
was swimming in the pool
and soaking in the jacuzzi
at a gathering in celebration
of my granddaughter, Marley’s,
7th birthday,
I was kicking back,
fully relaxed,
drinking a margarita
and chomping on snacks,
listening to songs
that made me pat my feet
and slap my thighs,
and softly sing and hum
and harmonize.
I mean with these smooth grooves,
I couldn’t help but move,
because I was appreciating
some of the nicest
sounds I’ve ever listened to,
an intermingling of genres
which appealed to
my eclectic musical taste,
giving a mind, all caught
up in the troubles of the human race,
some much needed breathing space.

And you should have seen
the look on my face
when I found out
that this music
that had me swinging
had been put together by
my other granddaughter,
Indigo.
Whoa! Made me feel aglow,
just from the discovery
that she
is an old soul
just like me.
And thinking that I was being clever
I declared
“This collection should be called
“Indigo’s Songs”
and Indigo politely corrected me,
as though I had answered a question wrong
on an exam,
with “They’re ‘Indi’s Jams’”
and, I’m thinking, damn,
what a lucky Grampy I am
having a grandchild
who has really got that swing
and the same can be said
about Marley, the birthday girl,
as she, too,
is artsy and open to the beauty
in the world,
she saying to me
that she was watching me
when I gave into
the calming melody, rhythm, and harmony
|that was surrounding me musically
and I asked her “Do you like what you see?”
to which she nodded affirmatively,
and we exchanged smiles
and the three of us in these moments
of glee,
Indigo, Marley, and me,
talked music for a while
among other topics that are easily
discussed between a grownup
and a child –

in full swing.
Oh, I’m talking about a swinging day.