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On this day reserved for gratitude Under late November skies As we honor our traditions And feast on pumpkin pies Let us celebrate the positive The realm of hopes and dreams Where even dismal darkest night Is brighter than it seems For though our journey may be fraught With cruel calamity The road is strewn with miracles For those with eyes to see We may not meet again like this dear friends from long ago So give me one last farewell kiss before it’s time to go Should auld acquaintance be forgot from days of auld lang syne? My heart says absolutely not I’m not forgetting mine Our paths may cross again one day but only time will tell So rather than good-bye let’s say: Godspeed and fare thee well (with thanks to Robert Burns) Remember once upon a time when you and I were young? The world was simple and sublime Our song as yet unsung Our freedom seemed to know no bounds Our limit was the sky An air of magic still surrounds our youth in Uruguay We couldn’t wait to go outside to woods or stream or beach The day unfolding far and wide was all within our reach To think we barely noticed when our summers slipped away We took them all for granted then I cherish them today If you and I take off tonight out of the window and out of sight over the hill and far away off on our own for a year and a day what should we take to eat and drink? and what will all the neighbors think? Never mind, we’ll just explain whenever we make it home again that it was time for us to go and shuffle off to buffalo to visit scenes we’ve never seen outside of a glossy magazine to find a place of our very own where we can play the saxophone and have no need for keys or locks and never wear our shoes and socks So what do you say, are you ready to go? Shall we hit the road and go with the flow? Just leave a note that you’ll be back and sign it Lots of love from Jack The fireworks start at midnight but nothing else is planned The unfamiliar road ahead is hard to understand We may be bound for heaven We may be going to hell Or maybe somewhere in between but only time will tell The pundits are divided The fortune tellers too Though some insist that all is well Some wonder if it’s true We’re entering the great unknown A place we’ve never been Welcome to the future: this is Twenty-Seventeen Where have we been since last we met?
Hopefully nowhere we’d rather forget! Were we circulating? Hibernating? Gravitating? Or merely contemplating the flow of days we’ve spent in all our different ways since last we met? What have we learned in all these weeks? That wisdom is as wisdom speaks That fortune’s fickle, so is fame they flicker like a candle flame That things are seldom as they seem and some are nothing but a dream That far-off places entertain but not like coming home again is what we’ve learned in all these weeks We are enslaved by obligation beset by trial and tribulation So where to find the motivation to interrupt our occupation and join this annual celebration? Our ritual of giving thanks is worth all the gold in all the banks There’s no more precious rendezvous Than being here today with you Under doctor’s orders
I took myself to bed In and out of daydreams hanging by a thread Peering through my eyelids everything is red Doomed to isolation living in my head Then you brought me sunflowers and sunshine filled the room Pretty yellow faces banishing the gloom Something deep inside me struggling to bloom Basking in the golden light of sunflowers in my room This year is coming to an end
A new one’s on the way The midnight ball will soon descend to welcome New Year’s Day The optimist will speak tonight The pessimist will too They may be wrong, they may be right It’s just a point of view Each day will bring its own surprise devoid of guarantee I trust the morning sun will rise The rest is up to me This life would keep us on the go
all chased and chasing in our myriad ways The rush and clatter of our worldly days was ever thus since long ago Who would not seek to beach their keel? To find safe harbor with the mainsail furled? To shelter from our helter skelter world released from this relentless wheel? So, on this day we celebrate, let’s form a circle as we’ve always done and join our voices to declare as one: “We’re giving thanks; the rest can wait” Sometimes I wish I could turn back the clock
and return to an earlier day Go back to the boats I managed to rock in my careless, regrettable way A thoughtless word can wound or worse and I’ve uttered my share, to my shame The weight of remorse is a constant curse but I’ve only myself to blame This is my moment to make myself heard I regret having caused any pain I’ll say I am sorry and mean every word then I’ll never be careless again |
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