The dance goes on; and every generation
Imposes measured steps and calls fast time.
I would sit this one out, but for the few
Opportunities for joining hands.
My awkward feet remember dated songs
And struggle in the strains of obsolescence.
The dance goes on and is oblivious
To slower time when need outlives a style.
It is sad how time makes life tragic and yet only because of time there exists dance.
How were you when you were young?
no effort, if you don’t believe in time, and focus on on lost eternity. We really haven’t been displaced from it,(paradise), we individually displace ourselves, if we had one.
Since the crazy thing is we don’t, we await the extreme pain of this in the supposed end, and postpone dealing with such, at that time. Do you hear your heart’s beat? Do you feel the boa constriction of your perpetual delay? Do you admit the fear of it? Well, here we go.
There is no time to dance, die, now. The best scene of this comes to mind in the film Last Tango in Paris, with a burnt out Marlon Brando. The music is ephemeral, sad, haunting, he is still on the waterfront riding his bike, though.
“There is no time to dance. Die now”?
Yes. There is no time to dance. In fact there is no time. You have to die to time, to be able to learn the steps. Dance is mostly following the instinct of internal music, of hidden beat, and unexposed melody. The dance is the dancer. The time to dance is now.
At my age the important question is what can be done with what is left?
Irr Changing the original,reverting to the usual mode of writing the surrealist-absurd,better suit, the complexity which Your predicament tries to escape.
It is imbalance at the waning days, as in the twilight gods recede, as does the son, but as it sets, the sun promises to ever in the morn return.
does it shine on You, and will it in the early rays of the dawn? Will the mobil perpetua of this search ad aeternum set in a constant and chronic uncertainty which seems the basis of qualia, or is it merely a sleigh of hand phenomena of out standing beacons of an internally set light source, a warm glow of medieval content,
meant
for those suffering the eternal long metaphysic of the night, bourne up on the wings of this seminal intent?
Irrellus i have read the above and find it unsatisfactory. I think knowing as much about You, as You willingly and graciously shared, I can literally and without embellishment note, that for You, the answer to Your question, at least to my mind, is getting closer to the source, of that which unites You, me, and really everyone,even the beloved wife who so soon left You, to be closer to Her creator.
Don’t see it as what is left ~ see it as what IS.
A Time to Dance - is especially clear and significant when you feel you have nothing to dance for. GET UP and Dance away in those moments ~ literally ~ defy what you think you know. That Dance will bring tears to your eyes, awareness to your mind, gratitude to your Being and wonderful memories which also LIVE AND DANCE and FLOW within you ~ which also LIVE AND DANCE WITH YOU. Everyone and Everything will be part of that dance for you.
JUST DANCE! DANCE TIL YOU DROP.
No. Don’t drop. No, do not dance till you drop. remember the dance marathons during the Great Depression, how they for the prize money, would dance until they dropped.
This is not a dance marathon, dance until the music stops. after that don’t dance.
what comes after the day the music dies, bob? mclean the levy where the chevy died?
no u can’t dance there, maybe never have. Foxtrot, tango , jive, or bossa nova, rock and roll jitterbug, mashed potatoes , or, waltz your self to death, that’s it, try to amuse, become amusing, roll dawn the river while drinking a vodka martini. and then a slap,
no stop the dance, as the last strings of the violin fade into the mystic night of the queen, the queen of the night of mozart slowly retiring as the darkness folds all about her.
So much youthful aspirations here. But I am Old. Remember Lewis Carroll’s “You are old, Father William”? I feel ridiculous and probably look so; but, I will get up and move my torso to “Old Time Rock & Roll” (Seeger). I just miss the days when this could be done without so much self-criticism. Spontaneity doesn’t require that.
I hate to use the cliche of all worn and used up cliches here, but i can not resist. 'You are never as old as You think You are.' Suggestion : For one week do not wear a watch, do not look at the calendar, just meditate X3 a day, go on a very restricted diet and go on extended hikes or walks, especially in places where You can get lost, ahem, well not really lost, but there may ben other trails to take. And breathe deep. Eternity may come to You, albeit in bits and pieces. Or take a ride on a bus to a destination never taken before. Or, take Your grandkids out somewhere.
Ir, You’re a 60’s product, do You smoke marihuana? It can be great, immediately puts You into the loop, and whalla You forget time’s cruel visage and You are living in the now.
Family estranged by choice (theirs). I tried marihuana, but it never worked for me. Beer does.
Whose choice? Yours, theirs? Not that it makes much difference, but is there chance for re-conciliation? (inter and intra psychic?) Can a peace be made between the internalized family parts, even if it can not be conceived naturally?
My daughter has warned me never to attempt to contact her or her children again. For her an attitude about religion and politics is more important than family. So I cannot visit or even correspond with my grandchildren. Maybe, if I live long enough they will grow up and try to locate me. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. I’m the dinosaur.
If you think those days are bound by age, then you’d be wrong. Self-criticism can occur in large amounts regardless of the age you are. You may look at your life and think there’s not much left, but you still have plenty of time even if you only live another day.
youtube.com/watch?v=dXGa__ECvnM
Did you know that J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t even write the Lord of the Rings Trilogy until he was almost 60? He didn’t write The Hobbit until he was in his 40’s. What can you do with the time you have left? That’s up to you. It’s not just youthful aspirations. My Grandfather is in his 80’s and still fights for happiness. Some days he tells me he doesn’t feel old at all; that he looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize himself. My step-dad just dyed his hair because he doesn’t feel as old as he looks and feels younger with darker hair.
I’ve seen a lot of older people just give up. Scratch that; I’ve seen a lot of people just give up. I spent a lot of time in moments of self-criticism and I know that you can get back out of those places if you put the effort in and it is worth it. Even if that’s all you do for the rest of your life, it’s a worthy pursuit.
But, I doubt that’s the sum of what you have to offer to this world. Maybe it will take a bunch of kids to remind you how to live? No shame in that.
youtube.com/watch?v=3YxaaGgTQYM
I look at you and I don’t see a man older than me or worse off than me; I look around this forum and I don’t see the different sexes or races or ages of people; I just see a bunch of equals. I’ve seen 13 year olds with greater wisdom than the ancients and elders revert to child-minds; have watched our world leaders arguing and fighting amongst each other and resorting to insults as if they were still in elementary school; as bad as some of the flamers here; something I have striven to be better than while acknowledging the need to vent and speak my mind.
It’s never too late in life to start living or to learn how to live again; to make a difference in others lives around you. Never too late to give a big old fuck you to the haters of the world and be what you should always have been.
youtube.com/watch?v=QvWj18LeU1g
And finally, you just need to find the right perspective.
Thanks.
Don’t thank me; I only did what all people could and should do.