Non Basta Una Vita!

We have a saying
in my small
circle of friends
Non basta una vita!
meaning
do not waste your life!
meaning
try to make
your life
count for something
in some way
some shape or
some form
Non basta una vita!

To the casual passerby
it sounds like a
no brainer
How is it even possible
to waste your life
when the simple act
of breathing in and
breathing out
accomplishes
nearly all that is
required for a life
to perpetuate itself
from moment to moment
from saga to saga
from adventure to misadventure

Why do we need to bother
trying to add
another overlay of
patina to the brickpile?
Why must we
feel compelled to
take the next step
to insist that
life have meaning
as well?

Perhaps it is
the life-force itself
that compels us

Today we mourn the loss
and celebrate the life
of Dave Brubeck
the jazz aficionado
(1920-2012)
whose intellectual approach
to American jazz
broke new ground and helped to
elevate the genre to new
heights of
international acclaim
“It’s all about rhythm and percussion”
he said
“The first and last sound 
that we ever hear
is the beating of our own hearts”

Non basta una vita!
R.I.P. Dave Brubeck!

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2012