Puff passed away…

This morning on the way to work I heard that Mary of Peter, Paul, & Mary passed away from cancer. It saddens me that a great singer and activist has passed in to that great night of death. The station played some of the groups big hits like Puff the Magic Dragon, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and others to remind us who she was, but how could we ever forget?  I am not sure why, but it suddenly hit home that a part of my childhood had died.  The group was part of the protest movement in the 60’s  & 70’s, and part of the peace movement of the 80’s but I just remember them for the simple lyrics and heart string pulling harmony’s of their folk songs.   Puff the Magic Dragon was always my favorite, a simple story about a boy growing up and losing his imagination.  Before we know it this seems to happen to us all, sooner or later. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Ask anyone you meet and you will rarely find anyone who can tell you with a straight face.  The wistful expression of lost youth and remembered times of play can bring even the staunchest person back to a desire for the past.  A pirate, a fireman, policeman, caped crusader for justice, doctor, a knight fighting a dragon, these were our dreams.  Unfortunately our realities consist of boring jobs, paying bills, and other things that dull our imaginations and deaden our dreams.  I guess Puff really died long ago in many hearts, only to be reborn in every new generation. As I watch my 3 year old son play with his toys, creating worlds out of sticks and abstract items it occurs that imagination is recreated in every new generation through the minds of children.   It is this cycle of death and birth of imagination that we find in Mary’s music and in the story of Puff.

To you Mary, may your songs be forever passed on and never forgotten.  And to all those children of the decades, who grew up with her music, remember to dream of the future and remember what you imagined as a child.

Buford