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Better Late Than Never?
Composer: Ed Hooke
Date of Composition/Copyright: 2002
Date of Recording: 2002
Commentary
About going running (inspired to do so by Hirva Trivedi in Mumbai) up to
Alexandra Palace park and thinking about my life around the time of my 40th birthday.
Shut the door behind you,
then down the stairs.
Run slowly up the street
in trainer-
on solitary patrol.
Paying little heed to dusk's celestial peacock,
dramatically
indifferent to your disregard.
Clouds in the west are tickled pink,
orange and mauve
as
if the ebb-
sucking the sky of life away from you
in your slovenly
pursuit.
Stumble heavy-
beneath a spreading blanket of vacuum blue
-
Count to a hundred
then you open them to find
the other
children ran away.
Now they've grown
and they've got children of their own
so you run alone.
Is it better late than never?
Sweat-
in the deserted hill-
The sunshine-
Do you always choose to run up hills
or are the hills just there?
-
Ponder on a life that wandered lost and lonely
and staggered
roundabout
until it reached this place.
Close your eyes.
Count to a hundred
then you open them to find
the other children ran
away.
Now they've grown
and they've got children of their own
so you run alone.
Is it better late than never?
Regrets, you've had a few but then again no-
The ugly duckling
became a swan
but where have the others gone?
Did they fly towards the sun?
Cluck and
cackle, squawk and hoot
goose, coot and mallard
glide towards their island roost
as
night comes down.
Count to a hundred
then you open them to find
the
other children ran away.
Now they've grown
and they've got children of their own
so you run alone.
Is it better late than never?
Now you've grown
and you've got children of your own
so I'll run alone.
Is it better late than never?