Why did this week’s prompt hit me on such a personal level?
Because it’s about junk.
Worn-out, no longer used (and no longer usable) junk.
There was a time when the equipment in the photo was new and in excellent working condition. But old age set in, as it does with all mechanical equipment.
As it does, with all of us.
It was Robert Browning who wrote: “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be!”
He could not have been more mistaken. :-)
You understand, I’m not complaining; I enjoy my life, even as a certified oldster. But I know that the best of life had to do with those earlier years.
Maxwell Anderson summed it up, in a magnificent, unforgettable lyric:
When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game.
If a maid refused me with tossing curls,
I'd let the old Earth make a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in lieu of pearls,
And as time came around she came my way.
As time came around, she came.
But it's a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September.
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November…
And these few precious days I'll spend with you.
These precious days I'll spend with you.
