Decomposition, in D Minor

An early-time lapse film experiment done by Dr. Jerry Payne in 1965. The music is from Gorecki's Symphony #3, second movement.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Tonight, I watched drunken teenagers stumble up and down the street, going to and from a party at the end of the block, talking loud, laughing hard, and smoking butts.

I thought about when I was one of those kids, and that was my party, and me stumbling, and loud, and laughing, right here on this same street. Pretty much thirty years ago, on the dot. It gave me an idea for a novel to write, a novel called, "The Death of Immortality."

I smoked what I think was my last cigarette yesterday, a decision made not out of want, but out of need. For air.

Every generation needs to make its own mistakes. I sure made mine. And tonight, watching as the cops inevitably came and broke up the fun and the cars disappeared one by one, I knew that the party of youth was over, at least for me, and I'm not that bitter about having gotten stuck with the Bill.