Ernie Barnes “Protect the Rim,” 1976. Credit… via the Ernie Barnes Estate, Ortuzar Projects and Andrew Kreps Gallery. [New York Times caption and illustration]
I got a charge out of Ernie Barnes’s painting titled “Protect the Rim.” The surreally long figures, the lofty rustic hoop, and even the knocked-together frame all have a quirky charm.
In a parallel world, my grandmother’s capacious lungs powered Sundays in my childhood church. Her soprano anchored the choir and was audible from the street. Michael Frazier’s feisty “Mom” reminded me of her.
At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,
I ain’t off-key. I just stepped out the key so when I return you can understand the key a little better. The preacher isn’t the only teacher. Why hit a note on the head when I can kill it? You mean to tell me you come here week after week and want the same old Amazing Grace? Just cause the Blood will never lose its power don’t mean a melody won’t. My ministry may not be song, but I got a song to sing. I done made it from Sunday to Sunday. You expect me not to celebrate and thank God, with my hands raised, my flats off, my full and open throat?
(Will Heinrich, “Ernie Barnes Paints What It Feels Like to Move,” New York Times, 5-30-24, Michael Frazier, “At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,” Poetry, May 2024)
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
EthicalDative 
Protect the Rim, Kill the Note
I got a charge out of Ernie Barnes’s painting titled “Protect the Rim.” The surreally long figures, the lofty rustic hoop, and even the knocked-together frame all have a quirky charm.
In a parallel world, my grandmother’s capacious lungs powered Sundays in my childhood church. Her soprano anchored the choir and was audible from the street. Michael Frazier’s feisty “Mom” reminded me of her.
At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,
I ain’t off-key. I just stepped out the key
so when I return
you can understand the key a little better.
The preacher isn’t the only
teacher. Why hit a note on the head
when I can kill it? You mean to tell me
you come here week after week
and want the same old Amazing
Grace? Just cause the Blood will never lose its power
don’t mean a melody won’t.
My ministry may not be song, but I got a song
to sing. I done made it from Sunday
to Sunday. You expect me not to celebrate
and thank God, with my hands raised,
my flats off, my full and open
throat?
(Will Heinrich, “Ernie Barnes Paints What It Feels Like to Move,” New York Times, 5-30-24,
Michael Frazier, “At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,” Poetry, May 2024)
(c) 2024 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
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About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.