I shall be released

Jude & I went down to the Saturday morning market yesterday. We havent been in a week or two for various reasons . Its a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning. The first priority is always a mussel fritter or two for breakfast, then a leisurely stroll. Jude always likes to get a tray of free range eggs if they havent sold out; every couple of weeks we treat ourselves to a beautiful smoked kahawai, sometimes that fresh that there is still a hint of residual warmth from the smoker. There is always a lovely range of organic produce to check out as well.

Then there is always the lovely Breton Lady with the drop dead gorgeous French accent & 'er 'usband that make the most wonderful crepes as you wait & fill them with luscious homemade strawberry jam. All this & you get to stop & chat with all manner of people that you have been just too busy to catch up with during the week.

Our market was originally started some years back by a pair of enterprising businessfolk who could see the natural break in our main street from a church, an intersection , a hotel & our local movie house on one side & half a dozen houses on the other side, and decided to do something about attracting people down their end of town. They succeeded admirably. Its amazing what you can actually find down there & traders now come quite a distance to display their wares.

Yesterday , however, there was a difference. Along with the usual fund raising raffles buskers, purveyors of 2nd hand books etc., there were also a couple of collecters for Amnesty International. I donated, not a lot, but every little bit helps I guess. Its been a while since I have actually heard anything about Amnesty International. I think the last time I had any connection with them was when Jude & I went to hear the Dalai Lama of Tibet speak at the Epsom showgrounds. That experience is worth a whole blog post on its own, so you never know... Anyway, here was Amnesty again. They arent a group that is exactly high profile at the moment. I mean they dont chain themselves to railings or piss Japanese Whalers off by running small inflatable boats under the bows of whaling ships. Fair enough , care for the environment & hug a small furry animal & a tree at least once a day, but lets get our priorities straight.

Amnesty champion the cause of those who cant speak for themselves, because they have been unjustly imprisoned. They dont make a huge public fuss of it, they just get on & try to right wrongs. I like that. It is sad that events in the middle East have overshadowed somewhat the fact that there are political prisoners all over the world. Dont get me wrong here. If someone has committed a major crime such as murder to try & coerce the rest of the world into believing, or at least finding socially acceptable, radical beliefs, then they should be hunted down without mercy. But not individuals who have had the courage to stand up & say, "This is wrong" & be treated like an animal for no other reason, so for Amnesty International, here is the lyrics to a very relevant Dylan song..


I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)


They say ev'rything can be replaced,

Yet ev'ry distance is not near.

So I remember ev'ry face

Of ev'ry man who put me here.

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east.

Any day now, any day now,

I shall be released.



They say ev'ry man needs protection,

They say ev'ry man must fall.

Yet I swear I see my reflection

Some place so high above this wall.

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east.

Any day now, any day now,

I shall be released.



Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,

Is a man who swears he's not to blame.

All day long I hear him shout so loud,

Crying out that he was framed.

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east.

Any day now, any day now,

I shall be released.