“THEY SAID ONE UNTO ANOTHER.BEHOLD. HERE COMETH THE DREAMER…
LET US SLAY HIM…
AND WE SHALL SEE WHAT BECOMES OF HIS DREAMS”
GENISIS 37, as seen on MLK JR Plaque outside of Lorraine Motel
“…God saw that he needed some rest and he called him home to be with him…”
Janelle McComb, Elvis Tombstone
3. A few months later, at the beginning of 2020, I was back in Memphis for Katie and her twin sister Allison's birthdays. We did some of the things that tourists like to do in Memphis - we toured Sun Studios, Graceland, and the Civil Rights museum. We explored the Mississippi river and ate barbecue. We stayed at the Peabody again, and this time we saw the famous duck procession. I was astounded by the city and I simply could not believe that Memphis, all this time, was just sitting here and seemingly no one, that I knew anyways, was talking about it. It felt to me more culturally significant than anywhere else in the United States. If one wanted to learn about our country's past, present, or future, it seemed to me one would have to look no further. It felt as iconically American as Hollywood or Times Square, but compared to those places it felt abandoned, and the siren inside me continued to sound as we moved through the uncrowded city with free rein.
You’re doing such a great job of capturing the essence of Memphis. A good friend is headed there for Katie’s show, and to mark the first anniversary of his divorce. It’s always been a special place to him. People who get Memphis, get a lot, and it continues to renew them.
Love reading about Memphis through your eyes! I spent the night there in 2017 while moving across the country. We had gotten a last minute cheap hotel (where I saw my first dumpster fire lol in the parking lot) in a random part of Memphis that felt a little unsafe and I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and be on our way! That’s my only impression of Memphis which I know isn’t proper... so thanks for sharing! Thinking I’ll have to visit Memphis for real this time! Also, I absolutely love your writing and story telling and look forward to each of your posts! Can’t wait to see you in Tucson in the fall! I’d love to meet ya!