March 3, 2011
See the recurring,
the leaving, returning leaf.
Is that the bird’s song?
When I was in kindergarten, I learned to sing in round. I had to listen to those singing before me to know when to enter the round, but then sometimes plug my ears so I would not get distracted by the different words they were singing:
Row row row your boat
row row row your boat
gently down the stream
gently down the stream
merrily merrily merrily merrily
merrily merrily merrily merrily
life is but a dream
life is but a dream
The repeating lyrics sung over and over made a never-ending circle. And life – the dream that is life – is this eternal recurring return: the leaves that drop and grow again; the birds that migrate south and return with their song. This is the round, the circle-song, they sing.
That is quite beautiful. I can picture you as a fresh-faced boy plugging your ears and concentrating hard. Lovely imagery.