"Slow Dance"

The following poem was written by a young girl in New York who is terminally ill.

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say Hi

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Feel free to copy this poem and forward it to people you know. At the time this poem was written, the girl had only six months left to live. She is slowly dying from cancer. One of her last wishes was to get this message out to live life to the fullest, because she will never get to. She will never get to prom, get married, or have a family of her own. By sending this message on to other people, you give her and her family hope that one day people will realize the value of life and live it the best that they can.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, New York 10461

Thank you for caring.