It Is Not Yet Spring

It is not yet spring but 

Leonard Cohen is singing  

in the car in French. I can’t  

understand a single word 

but I’m guessing the song  

is either about regret or total  

lack of regret. Even I can tell 

his accent isn’t terrific.  

There are young people  

out on the streets and  

some of them are dressed  

in a manner I would consider  

inappropriate if they were  

my children but they are  

not my children, they are  

their own uniquely amazing  

creations, never seen anything  

like them, not here in Chicago.  

Leonard Cohen sounds  

miserable and therefore  

completely satisfied with  

himself, he is, after all,  

singing in his bad accent  

and that makes me  

completely happy and  

the young people, who  

cannot hear him because  

the windows are rolled up  

and, even though they 

might tell you otherwise, 

cannot yet have felt  

much about regret or  

the total lack of regret and  

are dressed a little casually,  

in my opinion, considering  

the actual weather, are all  

convinced, I’m sure of it,  

they will live forever.