Bookends Theme

I was walking in the park one day.
I saw an old man sitting on the bench with the worst frown I have ever seen.

I was feeling pretty good and decided to greet him "Good Morning.".

There was no reply, but as I decided to leave, he started to mumble.

I was about to dash off when it hit me that the old man might be senile,
But his words suddenly sunk in, and I silently listened to him talk.
Perhaps just to himself.

"I hate children.
Irresponsible, time wasting, ungrateful idiots
When will they grow up and see that the world isn't such a great place.

Why do you waste your time with hopes and dreams,
That you soon learn was all false hopes.
Once society has you within its grasps,
You'll see that this stupid world isn't as fun as your little childish adventures.

Why don't you grow up and stop questioning what had been and always will be.
Why do you conjure up wonderful dreams, that will only haunt you when they break.

Why don't you see that love was an illusion, love is a waste of time.
You grow so close, for them only to leave you behind.
The happiness that you seek, is as equal as the disappointment that the world serves you.

Little children who do not know their bounds, who do not understand their limitations in life.
Such idiots, hurting themselves more as they try to struggle, try to change.

Their parents work for them until their body gets worn out and wary,
Yet those naïve imbeciles try to pay them back, not out of gratitude, but out of guilt.
Throwing away what they truly give you, your freedom, not the material inheritance.

I hate that child…

I hate that child who was I. An old school dreamer.

The myself, that I have forgotten long ago."

After all these years, I never understood what he meant.
I just thought he had a cruel mind to justify the world as a sad place.

But then one day, I found myself walking by the same park.

The old man wasn't there anymore since many a years had passed.

I sat down the same bench he sat on, and that same frown, found its way to the corners of my mouth.

How Very ironic...

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Time it was, and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories; They're all that's left you.

-Simon And Garfunkel (Bookends Theme)

From The Window

From The Window

One Beautiful Autumn Evening, I saw that girl by the window, again.

Light was glowing softly from behind her. I thought she looked very pretty.

There were rumors about her. Bad rumors. My nanna told me she is a gold digger. But someone with her size surely can't be able to dig deep into the ground. Nanna told me it was just an expression. That people like her sell their souls to the devil for a few pounds of gold. That they are nothing but whores. I asked her what is a whore, but she shied away from answering me. And so I kept quiet. Nanna sometimes does that, refusing to ask some questions I posed. But I never pressed on.

Every morning I walk past that big house on the way to school. Usually, it will be empty. But I did that still because I get to see her from that window. She always looked at the sky, and I thought sometimes she is dreaming. She never looked below, so I took the chance to glimpse at her whenever I can. Yes, she is indeed very pretty. Sometimes, she made me wish I can draw well, so that I can capture her face looking so quietly up the sky... I thought there was no one as beautiful as her.

Never mind what a whore is. I was pretty sure nanna refused to answer me because it was a bad word. But the girl looked nothing like that, or anything bad for that matter. There was something about her that made my eyes melt everytime I looked at her.

The man came by that window, and gently touched her shoulder. She smiled for the first time, and my heart almost skipped a beat. Nanna said the man was an old fool, an old, lecherous fox. I did not understand. She used to like Mr. Castle. Now all she did was speak badly of him. I don't even try to ask her what was lecherous. Mr. Castle gave me sweets everytime I met him, and we promised to keep it a secret from nanna. I thought he was a very kind man. He reminds me of Grandpapa, with the smell of tobacco and peppermint. He was almost 60 years old, nanna said. But sometimes he hardly looks like it at all, because whenever his eyes smile, they remind me of Charlie, my best friend, who always got us into trouble.

Mr. Castle saw me from the streets and waved. The girl waved too, and it made me feel very light at feet. Then they left the window. I thought Mr. Castle and his new bride were perfect for each other.

That Beautiful autumn evening, I saw that girl by the window, for the last time.

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My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy,
They have no borders, no boundaries.
They echo and they swell
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell.
Down from Berkeley to Carmel.
Got some pictures in my pocket and a lot of time to kill.

- Simon And Garfunkel (Cloudy)