“The world is a vampire.” (Bullets with Butterfly Wings – The Smashing Pumpkins) – This is the ringtone I have on my phone for when Patrick calls.  He’s been a Smashing Pumpkins fan since High School and has since become quite the aficionado on alternative rock. 

When Patrick was a child of 3 or 4 he liked to play Daddy’s “badar” (guitar) using a “badar bick” (guitar pick).  He would sit for long periods of time sitting on the wood floor with his legs outstretched, the my guitar, which was as big as he was, laying flat on his legs. He strummed and pound away.  It was loud (pre-alternative rock) but adorable. 

One afternoon Marci had a few ladies from the Church in the kitchen working on a project.  At one point there was a loud “clunk” sound followed by Patrick’s little footsteps walking up the hall, my guitar being dragged behind him.  He made it to the living room just off the kitchen and with an assortment of more “clunk” sounds finally had the guitar set up on his lap to provide a concert.

After a few minutes, one of the ladies said, “He’s very loud. Couldn’t he make that noise in another room?”

Marci didn’t miss a beat and said, “Yeah, he’s loud but that’s not noise. That’s Patrick making music.”

I was fortunate to be in the living room and heard the whole thing and was very proud of Marci’s come back as well as her understanding and description of what Patrick, in all of his child-like freedom and joy was actually doing.

That night after Patrick was in bed I picked up the guitar and played along to a little song in my head that by the end of the week was “Sing A Song Little Butterfly”.  It was not as you will hear it here.  In honor of Patrick’s love of alternative-rock and The Pumpkins, I created a new version.

Epilogue: I find it very serendipitous that the image of a butterfly I used for Patrick in the song is in the title of his ringtone on my phone.  Hmmm