The trains are still running
The skies are still raining
The people are still talking
Nothing has changed
The times are still set
The classes are beginning
They all are still cheering
Everything is the same
The writers are writing
The singers are singing
The ground is still as is the cold winter air
That same officer is standing at that same corner
When I first asked him where a certain building was
3 years ago
The same man is working at the station
Handing out pamphlets at 6am
I used to run by him on my way to school
For 2 years
Adults are rushing to work
And children to school
Worrying about something we all have before
My worries are no longer mine
They belong to the next one in line
For I have inherited another's
The process goes on and on
But for not that long
We realize one day
When we are old and grey
But then it may be too late
To understand this fate
You have slept far too long
Perhaps you have done it all wrong
“In a nutshell, the choice is between going through this life awake or in a kind of stupor.”
― Amos Oz, A Tale of Love and Darkness
I read Oz's book, referenced above, about a year ago. It was extremely nostalgic and the emotions he expressed were those I wish I could write down on paper and formulate into coherent words myself. His words are those that people need to hear.
What I took away from his story was that whether or not you decide to move or to stay, everything is going to remain- for the most part- the same.
A tribute to Amos oz- Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. December 28, 2018.
