Slow Dance Poem by David Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,

Or listened to rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight

Or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

Time is short, the music won’t last.

One of my music teacher, during school days, named Rose Mary used to play this song and the words of which have been stuck in my mind till today.

It is originally a poem titled “Slow Dance” by David Weatherford. The first time I came across this poem I cringed at the title. I thought that this poem would tell a love story of some sort. As I grew older I began to understand and appreciate the deeper meaning of this poem, where life itself is being compared to a slow dance.

What I understood throughout the poem was that as individuals, we should try to take time to enjoy each day of our lives and what it entails. In today’s world, we find ourselves struggling to meet deadlines, arriving on time to specific places as well as juggling between personal and professional lives due to hectic schedules. Wait! Stop! Life is not about hurrying to get to the next place. It is about living in the moment no matter what you are doing.

There were many rhetorical questions posed throughout the poem which every individual will relate to, for example, “ever lost touch, let a friendship die, cause you never had time to call and say hi?”. Throughout my childhood & teenage, many of my friends shifted to different schools or moved to different countries due to which our friendship gradually diminished. We could have prevented this easily by setting aside five minutes a day to send a message or call, but as they say life had its own way. This poem always inspires me to take a pause and not run in life. I definitely want to “hear the music before my song is over”.

So, Let’s be sensitive to other people’s feelings, you don’t know what they are experiencing. Let them know you care and you will be there for them. Life is short. Lets appreciate each and every day. Help someone today. You never know when one kind act, or one word of encouragement, can change a life forever. Kindness is a rare gift of the heart. Don’t let life pass you by. Live life to the fullest!