Today, on closing day at the Prospect Park Carousel, we all took a ride on the merry-go-round horses.

–Maybe it was because it was the last day or

–maybe it was because I hadn’t been there in at least five years or

–maybe it was silver haired man has been running it for as long as I’ve been bringing one of my children to the carousel (since 1991 with Teen Spirit, since 1998 with OSFO) or

–maybe it was the nostalgic music of the caliope or

–maybe it was the dead leaves falling all around or

–maybe it was my childhood memories of Sundays at the Central Park carousel or

–maybe it was because I was there with my sister, OSFO, and Ducky

but I had a very melancholic ride on the carousel today. I went into a kind of spinning revery thinking of times gone by and all the rides we’ve had together on that carousel and how quickly they/we/us have grown up.

It was a real Joni Mitchell moment. "And the seasons they go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down We’re captive on a carousel of time.."

"The Circle Game" not withstanding, it was a sort of blissed out melancholy if you know what I mean. I wanted to close my eyes and stay in it for as long as I could.

But the ride only lasted about five minutes.