That Little Mountiain Choir

導演說孩子們都練兩個月了，今天一定沒問題。結果一到操場，有人掉了一隻鞋、有人追打虎頭蜂、有人爬到樹上，還有人站第一排一直喊肚子餓。隊形排了半天，最後排得最整齊的，是大家坐在地上吃餅乾那一刻。

想想想，算了，就唱吧。

抱著吉他坐下來，幾個孩子慢慢靠過來。有人唱低一點，有人硬要唱高一點，也沒誰真的管得住誰。唱著唱著，居然成了和聲。遠一點的孩子跟著喊，聲音從山那邊又繞回來。

那天沒有錄到我們原本準備的歌，因為導演的電池沒電。

（其實我是發現虎頭蜂的那個，老師應該是叫做 Macing）

Everybody,
the mountain wind blows past the field.
Teacher Minzer calls out loud:
Today we’ll make the song real!

The director called the teacher,
said the children had to come.
They had practiced for two months.
Today we’d record the song.

Faces washed and shirts all shining,
through the school gate, one by one.
Every little smiling troublemaker—
look how innocent they’ve become!

Lined up across the playing field,
one child spun around and round.
Someone’s missing one whole shoe,
someone’s chasing a hornet down.

One is waving at the camera,
one has climbed a tree instead.
Minzer shouts, “Left side! Right side!”
Every child runs somewhere else!

Let the whole mountain hear us!
Ha-ha-ha, the children sing!

Clean white shirts and muddy knees,
plans fall down—let the party begin!

Everybody say:
We may not record a thing today!

Minzer and the children, side by side,
grace is waiting on the hillside!

The director said, “The little ones in front,
put the taller children behind.”

Little boys pretend to steal a base,
little girls braid each other’s hair.

Somebody yells,
“I’m so hungry!”

“Me too!”

The director grips his clipboard,
looks up at the sky and sighs:

“All right, let’s just leave it there—
that’s the best we’ll do tonight!”

Cookies, candy, soda bottles,
everybody sits down on the ground.
Dust on clothes and dirt on faces,
every mouth is smiling wide.

The director finally surrenders;
mountain wind is everywhere.
The neatest line we made today
is everybody eating there!

Let the whole mountain hear us!
Ha-ha-ha, the children sing!

Clean white shirts and muddy knees,
the plan failed—let the party begin!

Everybody say:
We may not record a thing today!

Minzer and the children, side by side,
grace is waiting by the hillside!

Minzer sits beside them, singing low,
the song we meant to record today.
The low part starts inside the heart,
the high part finds its way.

One child leans a little closer,
another settles by his side.

Some sing low and some sing higher,
disappointment turns to choir.

Let the whole mountain hear us!
Ha-ha-ha, the children sing!

Shirts are dirty, faces shining,
the finest song came finding us!

Everybody say:
Today we made the finest song!

Minzer and the children, side by side,
even the valley will reply!

“Children, can you hear me?”

“We hear you, Teacher Minzer!”

“Are you happy today?”

“Happy! We’re happy!”

“Sing your laughter out loud!”

“We’ll sing our laughter out loud!”

“Clap your hands, come on!”

“Come on!”

“From the mountain, where will we sing?”

“All the way across the valley!”

“One more time!”

“One more time!”

Today was sweet,
dust along the edges of our clothes.
No perfect line, no perfect team,
but one heart that everybody knows.

Minzer and the children sing,
the valley sends the laughter back.