From whence this poem -- it was written by a terminally ill little girl in a New York Hospital -- came, I can't really say. But it was sent by a medical doctor, Dr. Yeou Cheng Ma, and I felt it was worth repeating, as her situation brings great insight from which we can all learn.
The poem reads:
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
'Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
Did you stop long enough to read this poem? The little girl, if she's still living, certainly must be hoping so.
Recently in "A Look Back in Time," I used a photo of the Greaney Building on South Fourth Street that was taken from a postcard. I had thought the Greaney Building was located on the east side of the street, between Traders Alley and the old Friedlander's store.
But someone called, saying it was across the street, and contained the Orpheum Theater before it moved to Main Street.
Anyway, my friend Betty Cropp made this observation:
"Back in my day, this was called the Inter-Urban Station, or The Greyhound Bus Station. (Wow, that would put it in an entirely different block of Fourth Street, right?)
"It was the terminus for Greyhound (east-west) and Northern West Virginia Transit Authority (north-south). There was a restaurant on the left as you entered (archway). On the right was the ticket counter and a newsstand.
"It was a fascinating place to go -- even if you weren't traveling. That was in the '30s, '40s and '50s. ..."
What other readers might have knowledge of where the Greaney Building was? If you do, send me either an e-mail or a postcard. (No phone calls, please.) The e-mail address is below. The mailing address is: Bob'n'Along, Exponent and Telegram, P.O. Box 2000, Clarksburg, WV 26302-2000.
Have a wonderful weekend, one and all!
Exponent-Telegram Editor Bob Stealey can be reached by phone at (304) 626-1438, or by e-mail at rstealey@exponent-telegram.com.
