Remembering Rosanna
Once upon a time, I was an angry young man, wild and crazy. I played in a band, I did whatever the hell I wanted. I think that sort of changed when I met Rosanna.
Wash your face Rosanna
Tonight we'll go out on this town
Give them dogs a bone and put them down
I can't even remember her last name now. We didn't date very long, but she was unlike anyone I had ever met before. The friend of one of the guys in my band, she came to see us play. After my set we got to talking, and dancing. And more talking. She was a Special Ed major.
Shine your shoes Rosanna
Tonight we're walking on those tiles
Give them cats a class in feline style
She was taking her class on a trip to a local nature preserve and invited me to come meet her there. Maybe not good protocol for a teacher now, but this was early 1991 when things were simpler.
Have a drink Rosanna
Pour it straight and knock it down
Pull the rug of being up from the ground
She introduced me to her students. I hadn't really any experience with learning disabled kids - different kids - so I was naturally hesitant. Something happened there that day. I got to know some kids who looked at the world very differently than I did.
Take a seat Rosanna
Soak your sight and suck the sound
Skip the last train home go underground
The obsessions, the repetitive behavior, things that seemed weird to me, Rosanna explained to me. She did it within the context of the kids, and not like some clinical text. She showed me a real side of a person I didn't see before. I only saw the funny kid on the short bus.
Have a heart Rosanna
Clubs for fools and spades for clowns
Diamonds only serve to fill your crown
Little did I know that years later, I would see these things in me as well, and that I would have a son with Autism. Of course it broke my heart, but I think that in some ways, I was better prepared for it from that day spent with Rosanna and her students.
See me in Rosanna
Here's a boy in shining steel
Fighting for a part of something real
Now I am here, the proud-ass father of the two greatest little boys in the world. Equal in my eyes, both full of happiness and love.
You didn't teach me to see the differences, Rosanna. You taught me that we are all the same.
Thank you, wherever you are.
Lyrics: The Guggenheim Grotto - Rosanna
This song can be heard on Radio Paradise - please give them a listen
posted by ResearchGuy® @ 1:56 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Thanks for such a wonderful entry, Peter.
Your writing is always provactive and thoughtful and especially touching since I have an autistic sister as well, I learned this hard lesson as well.
Peter, sometimes you show us so much of the world, as seen from your heart, that it takes my breath away.
Bravo, my friend.
I like proud-ass fathers. In fact, there aren't enough of you in my book.
Great entry, Peter. You're the best.
We funny humans totend to get lost in the details and miss the big picture sometimes. And at other times we are so busy staring at the big picture that we miss the tiny details that make it all worthwhile.
You seem to have a fine grasp of both.
You, my friend, are a great dad.
I am friends with the person who wrote this song and have a completely different view of what it means. After reading your blog I don't think I will ever listen to it again and not think of your Rosanna.
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