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If You Could Read My Mind, Love

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“If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell…

~Gordon Lightfoot

I’m so tired I can’t focus on anything so I decide not to resist and go to bed before 9:30

I brush my teeth, wash my face do my nightly five gratitudes, turn off the light and snuggle into my sheets

And wait for Morpheus to come

And wait.  And breathe deeply

I turn over, flip onto my back – that never works – flip to the other side

Do breathing exercises:  inhale four counts, hold four counts, exhale four counts

Repeat and yawn during the hold.

For fucks sakes!  Sleep already! I’m obviously tired.

I’m not even thinking of anything in particular, either

Sigh.

Go to the bathroom and glance at clock on way back

Really? Eleven PM?  An hour and a half I’ve been trying?

I give in and pick up my phone and start scrolling

Oh.

Sadness.

Gordon Lightfoot passed away a couple of hours ago

I must be getting older as I find 84 to be too young

I go to YouTube and start listening to

If You Could Read My Mind

followed by

Early Morning Rain

Sundown

Rainy Day People

Choosing them one by one and holding the phone to my ear

Did She Remember My Name

Beautiful

Next thing I know, it’s midnight and I’m feeling that each song

has something that touches me deeply.

Good song writers do that.

“So if you should ask me what secrets I hide
I’m only your lover, don’t make me decide”

        ~ Gordon Lightfoot

 

112 thoughts on “If You Could Read My Mind, Love”

  1. Sad. Growing up on a Great Lake, watching the lake boats ply the waters the first half of my life, I’m sure you can guess what the first song I listened to was…

    Liked by 4 people

  3. I just heard the sad news about Gordon Lightfoot on TV when my iPad pinged and there was your post!

    Since I will be 84 in a few months I wholeheartedly agree that 84 is too young to die. But we are fortunate that technology will keep his music and voice alive forever.
    Ginger

    Liked by 3 people

  5. I read that he had died. I liked him when I was young, but I haven’t heard any of his songs in a long time. He was quite prolific.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes. He was way more prolific than I realised! And it was funny, as I was listening to songs, I was thinking, oh, I don’t know what one… nope, I did 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, Gigi. He really had so much to say – and yes, peaceful singer of songs about love and life is so true.

      Like

  15. A beautiful tribute, Dale. I heard about his death yesterday morning–one of the Top Tweet Tuesday poems was a tribute inspired by the Great Lake poem mentioned above.

    I had “If you could read my mind, Love” going through my head last night.
    I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep, but I’m glad you had this gorgeous music to listen to. I’ll have to do a rabbit hole dive when I get a chance.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Oh yes, I do identify with this sleeplessness when we genuinely believe we are so so so tired. I’ve never resorted to music. My answer is to flick the light on and read for a while.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Lovely tribute, Dale. His music was a big part of my life in my younger days. I agree about 84 seeming young. I’m sorry about the tossing and turning, and empathize. I have a few too many nights like that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, Robin. His music seems to have touched so many. All about perspective! I remember when 30 was old 😉
      And yeah, I have many, MANY nights like that.

      Like

    • That he did. Just to make it worse… he was all the more prolific in the 70s 😉
      Nope… we’re not old, we’re seasoned 😉

      Like

    • I bet you know at least one of his songs (or would recognize it 😉 ) I have a prescription that I’ve been using more than sporadically lately. It’s hard to not want to take it when I know that in five minutes, I will be sleeping and might wake up after four hours though I often go right through for at least six. The waking every hour is exhausting.

      Liked by 1 person

  31. Q

    I wasn’t a Gordon Lightfoot follower really but familiar with his stuff? Who wasn’t? You couldn’t have grown up in the seventies and not known his stuff because it really was everywhere. You still hear his tunes on the classic rock stations all the time because it has always stood up.

    Beautiful ode on a sleepless night.

    B

    Liked by 1 person

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