“Put Your Records on” by Corinne Bailey Rae

Three little birds, sat on my window.
And they told me I don’t need to worry.
Summer came like cinnamon
So sweet,
Little girls double-dutch on the concrete.

Maybe sometimes, we’ve got it wrong, but it’s alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don’t you hesitate.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.

Blue as the sky, sunburnt and lonely,
Sipping tea in the bar by the roadside,
(just relax, just relax)
Don’t you let those other boys fool you,
Got to love that afro hair do.

Maybe sometimes, we feel afraid, but it’s alright
The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change.
Don’t you think it’s strange?

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.

‘Twas more than I could take, pity for pity’s sake
Some nights kept me awake, I thought that I was stronger
When you gonna realise, that you don’t even have to try any longer?
Do what you want to.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

Oh, you’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow

You can toss this one to the curb
cause it reeks
It talks more trash than two birds
with four beaks
It doesn’t mind if you misfire
it heat seeks
Its like a cheerleader wearing a skirt
with no pleats
Don’t stick this in produce
it likes meat
Don’t try to line stripe it like tar
its concrete
But it won’t give you goose bumps
just the creeps
It’s like a bowlegged centipede
with bad feet

Okay… I won’t torture you any more.
Destined… this poem was meant as humor.

When there’s a moon the shadows in the house grow larger,
invisible hands draw the curtains,
a ghostly finger writes forgotten words in the dust
on the piano – I don’t want to hear them. Hush.

Let me come with you
a little farther down, as far as the brickyard wall,
to the point where the road turns and the city appears
concrete and airy, whitewashed with moonlight,
so indifferent and insubstantial
so positive, like metaphysics,
that finally you can believe you exist and do not exist,
that you never existed, that time with its destruction never existed.
Let me come with you.

We’ll sit for a little on the low wall, up on the hill,
and as the spring breeze blows around us
perhaps we’ll even imagine that we are flying,
because, often, and now especially, I hear the sound of my own dress
like the sound of two powerful wings opening and closing,
you feel the tight mesh of your throat, your ribs, your flesh,
and when you enclose yourself within the sound of that flight
you feel the tight mesh of your throat, your birds, your flesh,
and thus constricted amid the muscles of the azure air,
amid the strong nerves of the heavens,
it makes no difference whether you go or return
it makes no difference whether you go or return
and it makes no difference that my hair has turned white
(that is not my sorrow – my sorrow is
that my heart too does not turn white).
Let me come with you.

I know that each one of us travels to love alone,
alone to faith and to death.
I know it. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t help.
Let me come with you.

This house is haunted, it preys on me –
what I mean is, it has aged a great deal, the nails are working loose,
the portraits drop as though plunging into the void,
the plaster falls without a sound
as the dead man’s hat falls from the peg in the dark hallway
as the worn woolen glove falls from the knee of silence
or as moonbeam falls on the old, gutted armchair.

Once it too was new – not the photograph that you are starting at so dubiously –
I mean the armchair, very comfortable, you could sit in it for hours
with your eyes closed and dream whatever came into your head
– a sandy beach, smooth, wet, shining in the moonlight,
shining more than my old patent leather shoes that I send each month to the shoeshine shop on the corner,
or a fishing boat’s sail that sinks to the bottom rocked by its own breathing,
a three-cornered sail like a handkerchief folded slantwise in half only
as though it had nothing to shut up or hold fast
no reason to flutter open in farewell. I have always has a passion for handkerchiefs,
not to keep anything tied in them,
no flower seeds or camomile gathered in the fields at sunset,
nor to tie them with four knots like the caps the workers wear on the construction site across the street,
nor to dab my eyes – I’ve kept my eyesight good;
I’ve never worn glasses. A harmless idiosyncracy, handkerchiefs.

Now I fold them in quarters, in eighths, in sixteenths
to keep my fingers occupied. And now I remember
that this is how I counted the music when I went to the Odeion
with a blue pinafore and a white collar, with two blond braids
– 8,16,32,64 –
hand in hand with a small friend of mine, peachy, all light and picked flowers,
(forgive me such digressions – a bad habit) – 32, 64 – and my family rested
great hopes on my musical talent. But I was telling you about the armchair –
gutted – the rusted springs are showing, the stuffing –
I thought of sending it next door to the furniture shop,
but where’s the time and the money and the inclination – what to fix first?
I thought of throwing a sheet over it – I was afraid
of a white sheet in so much moonlight. People sat here
who dreamed great dreams, as you do and I too.
and now they rest under earth untroubled by rain or the moon.
Let me come with you.

We’ll pause for a little at the top of St. Nicholas’ marble steps,
and afterward you’ll descend and I will turn back,
having on my left side the warmth from a casual touch of your jacket
and some squares of light, too, from small neighborhood windows
and this pure white mist from the moon, like a great procession of silver swans –
and I do not fear this manifestation, for at another time
on many spring evenings I talked with God who appeare

CHAPTER 15: Alone

Alonee I walked and walked. I noticed a puddle of clear water in the middle of the sidewalk. Wen I approched it I gazed down and saw my reflexion. I asked my self, what am I?who am I? Hoping for a responsee, I didn’t get onee. I made my way to my quiet block where nothing ever happens. The quietest in the neighborhood. Heading down the middle of the street since no cars were passing by, trees and houses surrounded me. With no sound to be heard. The quietness had a certain smell to it. I looked up to see that the sky was gray. I felt alone. I never thought these powers could of distanned me from my closest friends. No, not my friends,my brothers. We havee been through so much. It changed me into the person I am now. Is it too late to turn back? I want to consider myself a hero. But am I good or evil? The thought of it sickened me. I told Josue the one im closest to but he didn’t understand. Why me out of the billions of people in the worlkd? I stared up at the sky hoping for a miracle to fix everything. I knew I wasn’t going to get onee. A group of scared birds flying away broke the silencee and it startled me. I cursed at them. Why fly away? Keeping my attention at the sky now i 5uddenly I knew wat they were escaping from. A black cloud caught my attention. It flew down across my positon. Going really fast. It formed into a black monstrouse cloud with teeth. Nervouse, I threw my hands infront of me and pressured water shot out of my hands. The water went through it and it went through me. Before I could think of going after it, I felt a strong cold wind behind. A helicopter passed me over head. More than 7 helicopters where following it. I was curious as to why they were following it or if they even knew what it was. I better get to it before they start questioning the supernatural. I wanted to be mad so the fire could incapacitatee me but I couldn’t do it.”Come on!” I shouted, “you only work wen you damn feel like it!” I sat myself on the middle of the street and closed my eyes. Concentrating, letting everything out of my mind. The power that came out of me when I was calm was faster and I had better access to it. Thanks to the yoga place Lyoto took me too. I never found out what happened to the place after the incident. The calmness gave me a brown look and white glow around me. Just like I remembered. The concrete below me cracked into a round circle and it was floating. I stood trying to keep my balance and I fell off. “Wow I really need practice”, I teased myself. I got back on and the rock and flew upward. Looking down I saw the biggest pothole. Atleast its in the middle it won’t bother anyone. I made it go foward and It flew very fast. I guess now I don’t need a car since I have my way of transportation. I pursued the helicopter to its destination and give the danger ahead a visit.

The twigs snapped against my heels. The wind howled and Janie turned against it, in defeat.
“I wanna go home.” Her lips turned in a quivering scowl, but her words blew away with the wind. I swallowed, and it hurt like swallowing knifes.
“We will.” I whispered, even though that couldn’t possibly be true. Janie turned away from me, and kept walking. Leaves squished under her soggy Converse sneakers and her knees buckled together to keep herself warm.
Out of the corner of my eye, a blinding white light hit my peripheral vision. I winced. It was a flashlight.
“Janie? Tracey? Dave? Call out if you can hear me! Call!” I heard a saddened voice, that sounded like Maria’s.
Janie started to scream out in response, but Dave covered her mouth with his dirty hand. Janie squirmed, struggling to be released from Dave’s grasp.
“Shh!” Dave hushed.
“Janie? Tracey? Dave? Call out if you can hear me!” Maria’s voice sounded more distant now. Tears blinded my eyes. Chance. The chance to go home, and we couldn’t have it.
We stood still, listening to Maria’s cries, until we couldn’t hear them anymore at all.
Janie hit the ground and began to howl. Again, Dave covered her mouth. Janie wailed, her sobs cut off from the rest of the world.
I sat down in the wet soil. I felt the earth, and I plunged my hands into it, looking at the color of the sky, which matched the concrete back in the city.
“Home.” I whispered.
ONE MONTH EARLIER
I didn’t understand how the sun could still shine. How the birds could still sing. How the day could go by, despite all the things that had happened.
I looked out my window. Janie and Maria were dancing on the dew covered grass, the sprinkler flying madly around.
I didn’t understand how summer could still be summer. How Janie and Maria could dance in the grass.
How could anything, ever be the same?
My heart ached, like a scar still healing.
I sat still in my bedroom, missing my brother Dave more than ever.
Why did they have to take him away? He was fine, just where he was. He wasn’t getting in too much trouble at the new school.
Mom said that Dave was different than most kids, and needed special attention.
How was Dave different? That’s what I wanted to know.
“Tracey! Will you come out and play with us?” I heard Janie’s voice from downstairs.
“Maybe in a little while.” I yelled back. I heard the front door creak open, and slam shut. When I looked out my window, Maria and Janie were still playing.
I looked at the photograph sitting on my desk. It’s a picture of our whole family last summer. Mom is standing in the middle, because she’s shorter than everyone except for Janie and me. Janie is on one side of her striking a pose, and I’m on her other side, smiling shyly. Shannon is just above Mom (since, although she’s the oldest, is even shorter than Mom) and smiling big. Shannon, Mom, and Janie are alike in that respect. They’re always so….happy and jolly. Maria is on Shannon’s left, her hair pulled into two tight braids. Maria is more like Dave and I, more shy and quiet. Dave is on Shannon’s other side, not smiling at all.
While other people seemed to think that it was odd that Dave didn’t smile, I thought it was just a boy thing.
And then Dad.
He’s almost as tall as the trees surrounding in the background. He smiles a thin-lipped smile, his big hands firmly placed on Shannon’s shoulders.
My heart itched for Dad. He had to go away with Dave.
Mom accused me of being a martyer about the whole thing. She was constantly telling me that, ‘everyone misses Dad and Dave, not just you. It’s not all about you, Tracey.’
I didn’t understand. It wasn’t about me. I KNOW Dave didn’t want to leave, and I’m sure Dad didn’t either.
I always tried to squeeze the real reason of why Dad and Dave left out of Mom, but she never told me.
It had been almost a month now.
The world had moved on, and left me sitting alone in my bedroom. The world was done feeling sorry.
But I wasn’t.
I wasn’t really asking for editing, like puncuation….

Maria Montessori called her plan for the young child the “Cosmic Curriculum”. Cosmic in this context means comprehensive, holistic and purposeful. Cultural Activities in a Montessori environment are used to broaden the child’s experiences and draw their attention to various aspects of our social and physical world, as well as providing them with some experiences related to the laws of nature. The child will develop his personality and will be taught to love and appreciate his culture in order to become a useful member of his society. We want to satisfy the child’s absorbent mind to learn and understand the natural and man-made world with clear and accurate reality, facts and information. Many of the Cultural Activities are sensorial in nature to maximize the absorption and retention by the child, who is mainly a sensorial learner at this age. A sensorial impression in the child’s mind ensures that, when he has to deal in abstractions, he is able to draw upon those impressions. They will first learn the essential forms and then after working with concrete materials again and again. Then the child will find out new and deeper type of knowledge and universal ideas which will eventually become the key to the universe. For example: a child learns about shapes in geometric cabinet and will later discover that his environment was filled with circles, squares and triangles.
The teacher can do the following activities from different areas to extend the child’s knowledge and understanding of the world:
History
The teacher will spend a few minutes to talk about the calendar everyday. The teacher will ask the children what the weather is, what is the day after Monday, what is today’s date when yesterday was 5th June, what is the year now and what is/are the special events happening today or coming soon. The teacher can help the children remember the days of the week and the weather better with simple and easy-to-learn songs.

Geography
The teacher can bring the children to the beach and talk about landforms. She will make an island with the sand and surround it with water and tell the children that a piece of land surrounded by water is called ‘Island’. The teacher will then make a hole in the sand and filled it with water. She will tell the child that a body of water surrounded by land is called lake. The teacher will continue to demonstrate different types of landforms like mountains, volcano, peninsula, straits, isthmus and etc. The children will then be introduced to the landform trays to deepen their understanding about landforms in their classroom.

Zoology
The teacher can bring the children to a zoo to see animals. The children will draw the animals that they have seen and label the body parts. Older children may try to classify the animals into groups of animals like mammal, fish, reptile, amphibian and birds. The children will work with animal puzzles in their Montessori classroom to learn the name of the body parts for each type of animals.
Botany
The children can grow shoots with beans or seeds. The child will each have an empty jar and filled it with paper towel. The child will push a bean down between the jar and the paper towel and add some water. After a few days, shoots will begin to grow. The children can see the roots clearly through the jar and record the growing process. The children will learn about parts of the plant and how a plant grows by doing this activity. The child will then work with botany puzzle to learn the names of the parts of plant.

Science
The teacher can shine on a wall with torchlight and make shadows with her hands. The children will also learn that shadow of an object will be shown on the wall when you place it in front of the light. The children can then make some puppets and do a ‘Shadow Puppet Show’.

Children who complete the Cosmic Curriculum have a clear understanding of the natural world, of human knowledge, and of themselves. These children are prepared to leave childhood behind and enter adolescence as independent, confident, responsible, emotionally intelligent individuals, balanced in physical, intellectual and social achievement.
‘Since it has been seen to be necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions. We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having foun

Here is my problem. The room is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The room has a linoleum floor and, from underneath the floor, you can see the nails used to nail down the subflooring. There is no insulation. So I imagine that insulation will help the temperature extremes.

How do I insulate an area that is open to the elements? It’s fairly dirty and don’t want to provide nests for birds with a traditional insulation.

Styrofoam insulation cut to fit between joists? Do I need to install some kind of vapor barrier first? Over the styrofoam? Against the floor?

Thanks.