by Angela Joy
illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara
illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00For Skipper, for Amir, for the north side, ordinary days, the seeds sound and city that
00:17grew Prince Rogers Nelson, written by Angela Joy, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara.
00:23In spring, sometimes before the last April snow, wild lilacs began to grow, they pressed
00:29their way through cracks and crevices seeking sun.
00:32Their blush will turn leftover streets into a symphony of lavender hue whispering on the
00:36wind that beauty is found in everything and everyone, even the ordinary day.
00:41On ordinary days, you could see him a beautiful boy, but small with a smile given only to
00:46lilacs growing between broken sidewalks carrying in his pockets a sound.
00:50Hard and round, he carried sound like seeds or lucky pennies broken rhymes and memories
00:55that with rain would one day grow.
00:57Mama's hum, dishes clanking, shouts and silence, slamming doors, papa's song, rhythms playing,
01:05trilling now through feet and floors wanting more, more than the sound he could hear but
01:09never ever touch.
01:10The boy wrapped fear and wanting into pockets to wait for a rainy day.
01:14On ordinary days, you could see him a catch of breath in middens threadbare feasting on
01:19what he could smell in the air but couldn't afford to buy, dreaming the dreams of ordinary
01:23things a boy would like to try milkshakes french fries.
01:26But all he had was sun, purring pigeons passing cars.
01:30The boy wrapped sunshine and hunger into pockets to wait for a rainy day, but the waiting wasn't
01:35easy without roots, without an ordinary house to call his own.
01:39The boy blew round like a petal on the wind, mama's house, auntie's house, papa's place
01:45too small, sometimes lonely, sometimes angry, sometimes lost in basketball.
01:51The beautiful boy belonged everywhere and nowhere at all.
01:54Papa bought him a new guitar.
01:57It was the best that he could do.
01:58Music was the boy's most faithful friend.
02:00With radio and records with lessons from mentors at a place called The Way.
02:05The beautiful boy listened.
02:06He learned how to play every song, every riff, every sound.
02:10Soon he met other kids who could hear the music too.
02:13Together they made a band, Grand Central.
02:16The band practiced in Andre's basement.
02:19Andre was a great friend.
02:20His mom Ms. Bernadette was a great friend too.
02:23She let the boy stay there.
02:25On warm welcoming pillows her house became his home.
02:28With Ms. Bernadette's laughter just upstairs the boy rap-peed roots and thank you into
02:32pockets to wait for a rainy day.
02:34And when the clouds finally came they felt like home.
02:37Eyes closed, guitar in hand surrounded by rhythm by blues, by the hands the boy began
02:42to play what he'd been hiding deep in pockets.
02:44Tender shoots of seed and sound broke ground.
02:47Shouts and silence, slamming doors, whispering lilacs, basement floors, the thud of a basketball
02:54boom boom.
02:55The echo of lonely in a crowded room.
02:57A secret wink, the warmth of blush.
03:00Papa's stride and mama's touch the purr of pigeon's hunger pain the color of sky as it
03:04contemplates rain.
03:06Sadness friendship faith and fear.
03:08He released into the atmosphere where just outside the crowd could hear the rain came
03:12down down.
03:13With lightning's flash the boy could see the man that he would grow to be.
03:17With rain and sun and harmony, he'd be a star.
03:20The world would sing his sound out loud.
03:22The beautiful boy called Prince would be proud of the name his parents gave him.
03:26Standing on stages near and far he'd drive the band and drive the fast car.
03:31He'd learn that love would make him tall but not today.
03:34Today was meant for being small.
03:36For sowing seeds of song into storm.
03:38The clouds wrapped round to keep him warm while the extraordinary became just another
03:43ordinary day.
03:44On ordinary days, you could see him a beautiful boy but small in a world so loud and fast
03:49and tall carrying in his pockets a song.
04:19On ordinary days, you could see him a beautiful boy but small in a world so loud and fast
04:26and tall carrying in his pockets a song.
04:29The end.