Notes from the Bottletree

Addae Moon is amazing! This brother and playwright from Jacksonville has only been back to Jacksonville for a few years but he brings culture with him. His work Notes from the Bottle Tree is currently running so I had to make my way to see it.

Moon is currently an instructor of Creative Writing at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.

To truly understand the play, you must understand a bottletree. A Bottle Tree is not grown it is created. In folklore, it is the southern tradition of hanging bottles by string all over a large tree. This was supposed to keep the evil spirits from coming into a home. It was a usual occurrence to see these “bottletrees” in the yards of many southern rural homes.

Moon took this reference and used the tree to rid two siblings of the evil that plagued their lives in the loss of a father. He wove family, friendships, harsh memories and relationships into a symphony of thoughtfulness. The photos by master photographer Billie Anderson, were also essential characters to the show. Each photo showed meaningfully beautiful glimpses of southern living.

I knew that some of the attendees in the audience were not ready for the subject matter but you could not help but to respect the presence of this masterpiece. The stars of the show were Stephen Anderson, Denise Nicole and my friend Al Letson. Al’s energy is always full of chaste power. I can’t wait to work with him one day. We always vow to work together but the stars just haven’t lined up yet. It’s coming.

After the play, I deiced to stop by THE CYPHER! My good friend since high school hosts a bi weekly cipher at her home. It is a bohemian set for artists to get together and share art thoughts and experiences. This was my first one and it was truly a wonderful way to end a great evening. There were poets, singers and just great times and she had a ROOM FULL of FOOD and best believe the girl can burn. Frijoles Negroes (Black Beans) and Rice, salad, baked chicken, fresh green beans – just the works! In fact Wylie’s birthday was that night and he celebrated there. I had not seen him in five or six years. He let us hear a few tracks from his soon to be released LP. The years have done him oh so well. His voice will be a welcome addition to the smooth R&B scene.

This day caused me to think a lot about the future and my place therein. I am in awe of the talent that surrounds us in this world. I can only hope to do justice to the gifts that God has given me. If you don’t use them, you loose them. So I must do more. I will. I will do more, starting now!

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