ADVICE
TO A STUDENT
Hey,
You're too young to
be objective and conservative.
You'll
have plenty of time to die later,
Compromise
by compromise.
You
haven't climbed a rainbow yet
Up
above the clouds
With
your feet off the ground.
If
you start sliding earthward now,
You'll
dig yourself into a hole,
And
your self will be smothered somewhere in your self-respect,
Which
gets kind of hollow in that case.
And
it's hard for a hole to climb out of a hole
When
the mind gets arthritic.
We
have a disadvantage, you and I:
I
too was born old.
But
I've gotten younger each year since.
You
can do it. Just
follow me
Back
where everyone else is coming from.
Don't
worry, they won't notice,
They
can only look one way.
Besides,
they're used to the scenery coming to meet them and rushing past them
back to ever-creating youthfulness.
And
they tell themselves, "We're making progress."
But
hurry up. Your
first move doesn't have to show.
It
can be a quiet decision deep within yourself.
Hurry,
I can't wait.
I'm
entering my second childhood; I'm catching my second wind,
I'll
meet you back at the womb,
Where
the secret of life is yet,
And
where all directions are still possible.
Hurry,
though.
While
I'm there I may decide to get born all over again.
--Paul LeValley
Go next to::
Or take a shortcut to:
Good stuff to know about footnotes
Listening to Classical Music Intensive
Primary sources of World History
Return to the Paul LeValley home page.