(like it was yesterday,
like it was the first time again)
to “Keep Yourself Alive”
and the chug of Brian’s
guitar throughout
and especially
the creamy and climactic ascension
of chorused notes following
the back and forth lines
between Roger and Brian
before Freddy kicks back in with them
for their final
exhortations.
I first heard this song when
I was thirteen or fourteen
and it hit like a religion
and made me want to shine forth.
Today
I don’t think
there’s any god in there
or anywhere
that cares much whether or not
I feel the same and
I’m thinking now
I should have listened more closely
all these years
to John,
remarkable anchor
too often unremarked,
as I’ve involuntarily
lived my life
more often in
the background
of whatever cosmos
I have found myself in.
Dark Matter 
August 24th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
After a certain age, I’ve known men who were very successful, but feel like they failed because they didn’t take more risks to play on a bigger stage. It’s part of aging. It goes with the territory. The challenge is to at some point accept the hand we were dealt and how we played it. And then to focus on what we can pass on, however small our audience, what has kept us persevering. Many days I, and others I know who have made a much bigger difference for good than I have, feel the way you describe. Welcome to the land of humility. It comes after: “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly.”