Mi familia de Colombia honored me with a request to create something special for a wall in their home. 

MY BOOM BOX PLAYS THE SOUND OF MUSIC. 

It’s a Love Song. It’s A Poem. It’s YOU and ME sharing our he(arts), connecting if only for a moment. Yes, I’m from the hood, the streets. And yes, I dig Jay-Z, Nas and Lil’ Wayne dripped over hip hop beats.  But I’m a child of the world, 

MY BOOM BOX PLAYS THE SOUND OF MUSIC. 

While teary eyes may get misted, let’s not get it twisted, I’m not waxing poetic about the musical song and dance starring Julie Andrews. I’m talking about the soundtrack of life that unites us all, whether dancing in the streets, or salsa and merengue to a Latin beat.  I’m talking about that heavenly serenade to be enjoyed by one and all, be it playa’s or the royal coronation ball. I’m talking about sounds so powerful that they can compel you to move your feet, just as easily as they can move a crowd, or provide comfort during grief. 

MY BOOM BOX PLAYS THE SOUND OF MUSIC. 

 Listen, can you hear that? Not Julie Andrews, not jazz, hip-hop, reggae, classical or the blues. That’s the sound of sunlight bouncing off the  flowers, or raindrops dancing in the streets, or on the beach after tropical showers. It’s a sound loud enough for the deaf to hear, and powerful enough to make hate disappear. Listen, can you hear that? That’s YOU, and ME, nobody’s and somebody’s, EVERYBODY dancing together, realizing we’re more similar than different.  It’s the sound of  humanity’s collective heart finally beating as one, and that’s music to my ears. 

Can you hear me now?

MY BOOM BOX PLAYS THE SOUND OF MUSIC.  - TMNK