Notes on “Season of Hidden Hope”
Frank originally wrote the poem “Season of Hidden Hope - a radio musical” for his appearance on Barb Golden’s KPFA radio show, Crack O’ Dawn on December 2, 1993.
Here is the original script with the poem and songs that Frank would sing as part of the reading of the poem:
Walking along cold dark homeless roads clogged with ice fears my only friend is the wind chilling my bones into longing and lost and beyond... into a cynical loneliness. Herding my sheep, looking in windows of unattainable desires, looking at presents useless because I don't have anyone to give them to, looking into the past soft colored warm homes that are no longer mine. Everyone has left, everyone is gone. Even the sun has left long ago, long before the manger. And the sun will not come back ever again. This is the season of dark depression and fragile suicide. Yes, I know I can always bum up the $29.95 to buy the plastic hope and faith at 7 Eleven and pretend it is my wonderful life playing in the video store's window. But instead I wrap myself in a jaded pretense of dry ice isolation of not caring, and drinking the stale but warm wine of regrets.
1. Meatloaf’s “2 out of 3”
2. Dodie Steven’s “Merry, Merry Christmas Baby”
3. Elvis’ “Blue Christmas”
The birth of new hope has always been hidden within the long cold winter darkness. Huddle together, clinging to our tribal warmth as our only protection against dying into the scary black unknown, we always have been blind to the evergreen hope of life. It has always been the first time the sun and easy hope have gone away. So we always think they will never come again. The evergreen hope has been hidden away in the womb of the humble and in children's dreams. The forces of greys have always overheard the possibility of the hidden hope...have always searched for it to pervert it into human isolation...or, failing that, to kill it for all time. But the forces of power always overlook the hidden human hope rocking in the baby's cradle. As power goes on a desperate killing, chopping hacking gorging, eating the old world up......we huddle together in the silent night upon the hill, rocking together in our tribal body warmth. The shaman, the holy woman, the medicine man have always shifted our attention away from the dark cold outward fear, have always shifted our gaze to the guiding light of new birth...at first in the stars, then in the roaring tribal fire which pulled all human feelings within it, and still later into that corny home hearth crackling with bright colors popping. Into this fire we have always gone, hearing the drumming of our innocent heart beating in a slow excitement, meeting again our love of life. We curl up with our love and wait for warm spring to arrive...as hope grows into knowing.
4. Elvis’ “Silent Night”
5. Johnny Mathis’ “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
6. Bing Crosby’s “Little Drummer Boy”
7. N.K. Cole’s “O Holy Night”
8. John Lennon’s ”Happy Xmas (War is Over)”
Here is the recording of the reading of the poem from the show:
Below is the front and back of the postcard that was mailed out to Frank’s mailing list (snail mail at that time!) promoting the show:
Photos from the postcard “photoshoot”:
Here is the complete Crack O’ Dawn show from December 2, 1993:
Christmas 1993: Frank, Linda, Mikee and Kittee.
