Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Last night at the age of ninety-four, Pete Seeger died. Funny, he was never Peter but always Pete. Yarrow was always Peter, but Seeger was always Pete. And he never wavered from his commitment to democracy, to freedom and to the people. If he was not always right, he was always true. It was from Pete Seeger that I learned that there is no such thing as a wrong note.  I think now that this was some of the greatest wisdom I have ever learned.

            And he taught me about commitment. Where there was a cause there would be Pete demanding “Which Side Are you On.” Or hammering out a song of justice and freedom. Maybe Pete is partly why I ended up where I am—and even why I have so long stayed. The threads are so many and mixed, but it warms me to be wrapped in the weave that includes Pete Seeger. I am ennobled by his life and resigned to his death. I sense the loss personally: I have lost a mentor and a friend. 

Gone to flowers, everyone.