Passing Jacks

PROLOGUEAt least twice a year, you and everyone else should take leave from heavy-duty living, check the fishing gear, and keep watch for any passing jacks. The truce won'¬"t affect life'¬"s outcome too much, and you may not catch any fish; but at least it will demonstrate your continuing interest in being human and not a robot.Our personal choices for philosophical beach combing are two very significant anniversaries:New Year'¬"s Day, when good ideas and resolutions abound, and we'¬"re full of optimism for the future.The early mornings of our Birthdays, when we pessimistically wonder how much time we'¬"ve got left to implement all the changes we'¬"ve planned.However, Life, in the short run, is beautifully disorganized, and full of surprises '¬ ; Thank God. Some sophisticated reader might like to link an '¬Üentry'¬" with a date or an event'¬¦ but beware: '¬ÜCountry Air'¬" was written twenty-five years ago, and the same problems are still causing trouble to our Country and to our World. We shouldn'¬"t have to remind you that '¬ÜVoting Blues'¬" merits a re-print every five years.(revamp the party names and slogans for your own locale)Some lyrics changed their wording according to the settlement in which we were plying our profession. Also, over the years, constant revision of style, if not philosophy, kept our minds sprightly. For example '¬ÜTeacher Blues'¬" was changed yesterday - we couldn'¬"t resist the temptation of current events '¬ ; half the schools being closed in Detroit, USA. Nevertheless, one urge remained and still remains constant:We need to write again today,Type the lines to thread the thoughts,Scattered in our dusty attic minds... like pearls?See, there's a couple of tarnished ideals -A refurbishing rub would do them good!Brass, alas, not gold, as once we thought.Eye-pictures of frozen time await a new recall;And aeolian guitars will sound a thrum of tunesBlending sights and delights into swinging dance!Come, shake our kaleidoscope:You will see, as once we saw,And now can see againCome, read the page,And for this moment,Let us share our lives.