journal features

cherish the zombie years

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2009.07.31

A friend, reading the blow-by-blow on these, our "zombie" years.

"Careful, because once you get through the zombie stage

(depending on the kid) you may find you miss it.

Here's a bit of poetry my son was singing the other day at breakfast.

It's not my fault

It's in my penis

It's right

and it's bad

it's not a merry go around

around

not a word was touched - this is verbatim, I swear. [Leonard] Cohen eat your heart out."

rand()m quote

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges