This morning I read secrets for wearing monochrome color with casual flair—vary textures for interest. And a report from southern Madagascar: climate change famine threatens tens of thousands with starvation. Then daily “Five Minute French,” which will make me fluent within a decade, should I live that long. Recent lab reports suggest not likely, but “You Never Can Tell.” Remember Chuck Berry’s 1964 hit? “It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well. You could tell that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle.” If you haven’t listened recently, you should have. It’s terrific. Would have made you happy, no small thing mid the dark of the year and the peril of the planet. You might have felt inspired to give to famine relief: your hands outstretched, your feet dancing. “When Pierre found work, the little money coming worked out well.” C’est la vie. Still is. Dress up like you have somewhere fun to go. Just not head-to-toe red orange unless you’re OK being mistaken for a traffic cone.
Richard Baldasty is a geriatric memoirist, poet, and collagist living the life retro in Spokane, Washington.
Backwards Trajectory 