Forever Young Again

WHERE ALL'S ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS
At the Portrait Studio:
Sears ~ Summer 2012 & Penney's ~ December 2014

"There are many things in life. You're very young," said Ralph.
"I feel very old," said Isabel.
"You'll grow very young again. . . ."

Henry James ~ from Portrait of a Lady, 1881
(Chapter 54, p 471)

MUSICAL CONNECTIONS
1. from "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel
Once I thought my innocence was gone;
Now I know that happiness goes on . . . (1983)

2. from "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam
Oh very young, What will you leave us this time?
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim blue fading up to the sky

And though you want him to last forever
You know he never will
You know he never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still

Oh very young, what will you leave us this time?
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you?
Will you ride the great white bird into heaven?

And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still . . . (1974)

3. from "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
We are young
heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love is a battlefield
We are strong
No one can tell us were wrong
Searchin' our hearts for so long . . . (1983)

4. from "Forever Young" by Alphaville
Youth's like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever

So many adventures given up today,
So many songs we forgot to play.
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
Oh let it come true.

Forever young,
I want to be forever young.
Do you really want to live forever,
Forever, and ever? (1984)

5. from "We Are Young" by Fun, featuring Janelle Monae
Tonight
We are young
So let’s set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun (2011)

6. "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young. (1974)

7. "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave

And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain

And in my heart you will remain
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young

And when you finally fly away
I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you, win or lose

Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young (1988)

*****************************
Two weeks (and one leap day!) ago, my post for the 14th, featured a series of Duets recommended by my older son Ben. Since then, my younger son Sam has suggested "Young Again" by Hardwell: "This is an 'EDM' song, but more melodic than most. I think you will enjoy."

Sam was right. I loved the melody and the lyrics, which brought to mind all of the above snippets from so many previous favorites. I kept wandering from one connection to the next, arriving ultimately at "Forever Young."

I guess one doesn't have to be very old to yearn for an earlier, more carefree time. After all, Hardwell himself is only 28, and Sam is even younger! I hope they will feel young again; better yet, I hope they will feel young now, because -- guess what? -- they are young! But I know what they mean. The obligations pile up; the duties and responsibilities seem to completely overshadow those faraway times of unstructured simplicity and creativity. And what's the best way to capture that nostalgia? A song, of course! Here is Hardwell's reminiscence that Sam so kindly recommended for his old parents:

"Young Again" by Hardwell
When I was a boy
I dreamed of a place
in the sky
Playing in the fields
Battling with my shields
Bows made out of twine

I wish I could see this
world again
through those eyes
See the child in me
in my fantasy
Never growing old

Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again

We wanna feel young
We wanna feel young again

When I was a boy
I searched for a world
that's unknown
All we have is fun
everybody runs
until the sun goes down

I wish I could see this
world again
through those eyes
See the child in me
in my fantasy
Never growing old

Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again

You wanna feel young
You wanna feel young again (2015)

In addition to Hardwell,
Sam also sent an enthusiastic recommendation for Armin:

Letter From Sam:

"Mom and Dad -- I tried to pick my favorite Armin song, but no man, woman or child could ever hope to accomplish such a daunting task.

As such, I will be offering you a spread of my favorite Armin songs in this week's EDM Update email.

Disclaimer: When listening to Armin, you don't just listen to music, but you enter a #StateOfTrance

His most famous song: "This Is What It Feels Like"

Current most famous song: "Strong Ones"

My current favorite: "Heading Up High"

His Entrance Song (very similar to Dad's March Song) -- this was my favorite for a long time. It is 7 minutes, but I highly recommend. Dad I think you will very much enjoy this one: "Embrace"

His Closing Song: "Looking For Your Name"

Enjoy!! (not necessary, I know you will)"

~~ THANKS SAM! ~~
SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS FOR MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Monday, March 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT ~ "Millennials & Music"
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST ~ "Climb Inside and Live There"
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogspot.com

Many Many Moons

ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS
Pink Phlox on our front slope ~ April 2010
A much warmer and sunnier April than we're having so far this year!
Although some may find it hard to believe, neither the Pink Moon nor the Blue Moon is so named after the color of the moon (though I've even heard fact bound Jeopardy perpetuate this erroneous concept). In fact, the April Full Moon is often called the Pink Moon because of the moss pink ground phlox, one of the earliest widespread flowers of the Spring, which makes its appearance at this time.
Pink Moon Phlox
Other names for the April full moon, all referring to new life and regeneration, include the Egg Moon, the Fish Moon, the Planter's Moon, the Seed Moon, the Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Waking Moon. For more information on these nicknames and all the other Full Moon Names, there's always the good old reliable Farmers' Almanac. Plus there are plenty of fun and informative Lunar Blogs on the web.

Coincidentally, tomorrow's Total Lunar Eclipse will lend a pinkish, reddish hue to this year's April moon, inspiring its descriptive nickname: the Blood Moon, not a scientific term but a hugely popular one. I didn't try to photograph the lunar eclipse, but my friend Jay got some great shots:

Here's one of the best full moon poems I know, for a Blood Moon or any other kind, full of folklore and magic. Ancient or post - modern? These fisher - folk could well be either, upon their timeless quest:

Moon Fishing

When the moon was full they came to the water,
some with pitchforks, some with rakes,
some with sieves and ladles,
and one with a silver cup.

And they fished til a traveler passed them and said,
"Fools,
to catch the moon you must let your women
spread their hair on the water --
even the wily moon will leap to that bobbing
net of shimmering threads,
gasp and flop till its silver scales
lie black and still at your feet."

And they fished with the hair of their women
till a traveler passed them and said,
"Fools,
do you think the moon is caught lightly,
with glitter and silk threads?
You must cut out your hearts and bait your hooks
with those dark animals;
what matter you lose your hearts to reel in your dream?"

And they fished with their tight, hot hearts
till a traveler passed them and said,
"Fools,
what good is the moon to a heartless man?
Put back your hearts and get on your knees
and drink as you never have,
until your throats are coated with silver
and your voices ring like bells."

And they fished with their lips and tongues
until the water was gone
and the moon had slipped away
in the soft, bottomless mud.

by Lisel Mueller, American poet, born in Germany, 1924
Pulitzer Prize For Poetry, 1997

Thirst drove me down to the water
where I drank the moon’s reflection.
Rumi (1207 - 1273)
Persian Spiritual Sage

Trying to Capture the Moon
Thanks to Andrea Livingston for sharing this playful lunar collage, which reminded me of the following favorite children's stories that cleverly capture the conundrum of the moon, so close but still so far. How can the moon, so clearly visible to the naked eye, especially when it's full, be further away than England or California or even nearby Chicago, which we certainly can't see from Indiana? That just doesn't seem right!

Margaret Wise Brown -- Goodnight Moon
Gerry and I loved reading this one to Ben and Sam.
When Ben was little, all Gerry or I had to do was get out a copy
of "Goodnight Moon," and Ben would call out, "Nobody!"
(See Aimee Bender, 2014)

Eric Carle --Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me
Sometimes the moon is whatever size you need it to be!

James Thurber -- Many Moons
I did not know this book as a child, but loved it in college and
picked a passage from here for an oral interpretation assignment.

Cat Stevens -- Teaser and the Firecat
Love the album & the songs but better yet, the storybook!

See also "Moonshadow," another
Cat Stevens favorite!

SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS FOR MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Monday, April 28th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT ~ "Pink Moon" & "Many Moons"
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogspot.com