Before the Nightfall...

Robert Francis' lyrics read like good poems:

"I reached to grab the glowing rose
But instead it burned my hand
It was just a thousand moths covering a light
Hoping that they'd found land"

-Nightfall by Robert Francis

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I Remember Everything

"I don't think I can live with myself if I don't go to the Robert Francis show,"  I said to a friend last Wednesday.  I called her at nearly 6 o'clock, just hours before the event.  For three weeks, I'd been agonizing over the choice not to buy a ticket.  I had an important commitment at 8 o'clock sharp the next day and need to be, well, sharp.  But I couldn't take it.  So, a friend and I went to the show. 
     Robert Francis wore a plaid shirt, Levi's and no shoes.  He and his band brought Before Nightfall to life in a way that no stereo could convey.  After his set, I went to the merch table, Moleskine in hand, and said, "This might sound a little strange, but I've written about your music in my journal.  I was wondering if you might sign the page?  But don't read my journal."  He laughed at that and wrote:

Thank you so much for coming,

Love,

Robert Franics

I didn't hide the smile that overcame my face, as I was pleased with my whit, and said, "I'd like a t-shirt too."