Am I a cynic or what?

First of all, I have to tell you how much my son and I enjoyed a wonderful visit with our Barb of the drive-thru mastectomy when we visited her in St Paul, MN, at the end of August. Thank you Barb for a terrific time and a fascinating introduction to your twin cities, straddling the Mississippi and stop-off point for many famous bootlegging gangsters way back when. (And your cooking was just great!)

A few days ago a friend sent me one of these poems, supposedly written by a cancer-stricken child and if you sent it out to all your contacts a few cents would be paid for each one into a cancer charity.

Well, many people have told me that these emails are scams and that we should just delete them, because they don't benefit anyone.

OK, I can see that.

But ... whoever wrote this poem (cancer-patient child, adult, professional writer or whoever) has captured some ideas that crossed my mind while I was going through treatment and still cross my mind now. More than that, it is beautiful. My thanks to whoever wrote it, and if it is genuine, I hope it really does inspire contributions to cancer research.

Here it goes:

~~~~~~~~~~

SLOW DANCE

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.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, beautiful, huh? Let's hope the people who promote it are as beautiful and sincere as the poem is. For those who want to check it out, it appears the person to contact is:

Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx , New York 10461

......................

Love to all

SUZE