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And All the Time That You Are Alone: A Tribute to a Life Circle
A single step in history.
We find out who we are when we are alone.
Many people never understand what it is to be a free spirit. Likewise, when they consider the true benefits which that free spirit gains from choosing to be such. Man should not be so arrogant as to consider that it is only the human spirit that can exist or can exist freely. Nature gives us many opportunities to identify the spiritual attributes of many living things, though we as people tend to not consider that fact, or in what respects that fact has substance.
When we take the time to consider the beauty and natural energies of different environments and the conditions which the inhabitants of those environments have had to endure over time, then we gain the ability to measure their spirit. I believe that one of the best examples of this comes from old trees that offer little pretense and show their spirit openly within their shape, their foliage and their scarred, tell-tale bark.
‘And all the time that you are alone’ is a poem about one such tree. When I first noticed this tree it was because its spirit shone through and showed the harshness of the life it had endured, that had shaped and mounded the tree’s history. It sat alone on white sands beside a coral lagoon that almost appeared to be a tranquil environment, yet it betrayed the fierce climatic fluctuations that this environment was subjected to for eight months of the year. The tree was stunted and bent to the prevailing winds, its bark was twisted and scarred, showing a character that had survived at least two hundred years, perhaps even five hundred years. This free spirit had seen and endured so much throughout time and storms that I could only guess how its life had evolved.
The tree in the picture below is real and is an amazing specimen of nature, with its soul bared to anyone in the world who would take the time to notice. I hope that you can visualize the spirit of this living treasure that still blesses one unique and undeveloped environment.
Please enjoy: ‘And All The Time That You Are Alone’
Copyright © 2011 - 2013 Pearldiver Poetry with all rights reserved
And all the time that you are alone, is marked in rings around....
Alone.
‘And All the Time That You Are Alone’
Alone, you escaped
From a tangled forest long gone
Here you stand, leaning
Bent with countless years
Drawing water solely from the mist
Alone
Once a sapling
Young dreams with which to grow
To get you through the harshest drought
And storms as they scarred you
Into growing a steely bark to survive
Alone
Once you met conquistadors
They leaned against you
And laughingly wet your trunk
You gave them shade during their stay
And sadly watched footprints blow away
Spanish rust still caught within your roots
Alone
You are in history
Perhaps you met Columbus
And knew the native Indians
Who draped raw fish over your limbs
And wet your trunk once more
Now a picnic spot beside the sea
And all the time that you are alone
Is marked in rings around your heart
Sadly watching all footprints fade away
And you knew that you’d always be
Alone
Throughout all time
You proudly show the grandeur of trees
And of those times we have shared, I wonder
If you’ll always remember me
Now bent with so few years left to be
We both alone, each sharing our history
Alone
Once you shaded me
And stood guard during my rest
Gentle breeze rustling your iron leaves
Bared a great soul within your bonsai form
Hypnotically I got to know you well
Over times we each talked and listened
And I learned how to understand
Nature’s language, spoken in ancient tree
Throughout all time alone, part of history
Leaning into the harshest storms, happy to be
Alone
Bent from countless years
Of sandy loam and prevailing winds
Weighed down with silent wisdom
You embrace the ebb and flow of tides
Changing times and changing seas
Beyond the reefs breaking surf
Alone
Like nocturnal laying turtles
Digging at your feet, knowingly
That you offer safety to their offspring
Vigilance while counting the grains of sand
That blow in and out of your world
And you, forever giving shade to strangers
And those who know you well
All proud to be part of your history
Seeing great beauty in this ancient tree
Alone
And Here Alone
On the cusp of all tomorrows
May nature always highlight the beauty
That lets your ancient spirit soar
Across more time, another century
Showing those who meet you
That alone
Is not always, as it seems to be
To an ancient tree, once escaped
From tangled forests, long ago
Now beside an ever changing sea
Alone, a wise soul will always be,
Forever free.....
* Poetry by Pearldiver *
Copyright © 2011 - 2013 Pearldiver Poetry with all rights reserved
This poem is sponsored by:
You can never truly be alone if you are free. If you enjoyed this poem, please take the time to leave a comment below...... Thanks for reading this piece.
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Thank you for your comments.
Beautiful description. I always marvel at the strength and stamina of trees.
"And all the times that you are alone
Is marked in rings around your heart
Sadly watching all footprints fade away
And you knew that you’d always be
Alone"
PD, this is really, really beautiful...reading it one more time...
This is beautiful, Pearl! I love your word choice. Voted up!
Such a beautiful poem!
Alone, a wise soul will always be/Forever free.....
If only human beings can accept this thought!
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Hi TK, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Yes trees, given their own natural ability to flourish are in every respect enduring.. The subject here, I believe has endured more than most.. cheers for calling by.. take care.
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Hi Someway, thanks for that... yes..I quite liked those lines too. Glad you liked this poem and the change of pace. I appreciate your support Someway.. you take care.
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Hello Habee, thank you for your compliment and for reading this work. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, as much as I enjoyed writing the piece. Cheers Habee.. take care
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Hi Shalini, thanks for taking the time to read this poem and for your positive comment. I believe a few do live and think within this parameter. It takes a lot of positive character and endurance to one's cause. So glad that you enjoyed his work.. I appreciate your support.. cheers.. you take care my friend.
Live on a farm surrounded by many eucalyptus trees of different heights and colours and shades of leaves...hiding in their shades when temperature soar in 40tees they feel like friends to me...trees of different personalities:)
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Hi Beata, nice to see you out and about. Yes eucalyptus are a great example of the spirit of trees. Their bark and colors change in direct reaction to the climatic conditions and give us an amazing range of earthy tones... and they always smell good too Beata. You are in an artist's studio there, though now it is becoming the fastest growing state in Oz, so your piece of WA is becoming more important. Thanks for your positive input Beata.. you take care.
Very beautiful, PD. When I read poems like this, it reminds me how everything is connected. We couldn't live without trees. Their wisdom and beauty protect us and give us breath.
I love reading your poems, and this is lovely, beautiful poetry.
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Hi rebekah, thanks for your kind words and positive, encouraging support. Yes it is sad that deforestation has been so rampant, without having first considered the true benefits of them.. They are afterall, the lungs of our world, in every respect. Many native species like animal species are severely endangered and very little is done to ensure their survival, as justification for that exploitation is often on the basis of replacement, with the likes of toxic pines etc.
This tree had dodged that madness for so long and I just had to tell its story. If that came out in good poetry, well then I have done something to honor this solitary life. Glad you like my work rebekah.. this poem and subject truly are special to me... Cheers for your support.. you take care.
Congratulations on winning entry in Poetry contest Pearldiver, I can see why this poem is judged a winner, it is awesome. Regards, snakeslane
Exquisite imagery, exquisite photos! Well done in the contest!
Congratulations, Pearldiver. I love the depth of this work, and images are spectacular, too.
Congratulations on your well deserved win Pearldiver.
Congratulations! You deserved it with this entry! Beautiful. Goodnight, Mary
I love trees , very beautiful , voted up :)
Congratulations Pearldiver, this was one of my Top Ten Choices, although We Met only as True Lovers was my Top three choice, either way you placed with one of them. Your work is spectacular and I was honored to read and be chosen as one of the judges to help choose a candidate and voila you ranked right up there as I knew you would. Bravo, my poetic genius, take a well deserved bow.
Oh my gosh, Pearldiver. I am SOOOO happy you won. Deserved on so many levels. Congratulations! Where are you?
Laura
I can’t believe that I only just discovered you as a result of the contest. There is such depth to this magnificent and unique tribute that does honor to the tree. The photos are also exquisite. Congratulations on a well-deserved win.
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Hi snakeslane, wow.. I didn't know! Thank you for reading this poem and finding that you enjoyed it. I appreciate your compliment.. thanks very much... take care.
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Hi RedElf, thank you very much.. And Wow you won also, which is great.. sooo Congrats to you as well for writing such good poetry.. I'm glad you enjoyed this poem.. cheers for the stiff competition poet :) You take care.
cool...congrats!...
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Hi Tom, thank you mate, I appreciate your compliments and I believe Congrats are in order for you also, with your win in the comp with your awesome work.. very pleased that particular poem made it through for you. Cheers for your support.. take care Tom.
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Hi Happyboomernurse, thank you very much for your compliments and support. I'm glad that you liked this poem.. All the best.. cheers, you take care.
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Hi Mary615, thank you so much for that.. I appreciate your support and kind words. I'm glad that you enjoyed this poem... actually, I quite like it myself... Cheers.. you take care.
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H Jami, thanks for your compliments, I'm glad that you liked this work and subject matter. I appreciate your support and vote.. cheers, take care..
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Wow Saddlerider, this was an unexpected surprise and I'm a bit humbled by the support... Of course having some of the best poets taken out of the comp with judging duties, I'm sure helped.. Thank you so much, my friend.. to have 2 poems chosen in your top 10, was indeed an honor for me, as I value your extensive knowledge and passion for this art form.
I rushed against the clock pretty much in the 11th hour, to get this poem posted... so much so that I didn't even proof read the intro and found it to be badly written.. it was just fixed and now reads properly... Thanks again Ken.. You guys did a huge and fabulous job judging all the entries... Cheers mate.. you take care.
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Hi Laura, thanks very much, it was a surprise that I found when I logged in just before. I was lucky.. many of the best poets were excluded by judging duties :) Cheers for your support and kind words Laura, you take care.
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Hello Genna, thank you very much for your kind words, I appreciate your compliments. I'm glad that you enjoyed this poem and hope that you will enjoy more of my works. Cheers, you take care
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Hi Someway, thanks for that.. yea you picked it as a goody and it won a prize.. I'm pretty happy about that.. Good stuff, cheers for your support and kind words..take care.
congratulations.Tribute to ancient tree is beautiful .Best wishes.
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Hi vasantha Tk, thank you for that. I appreciate your compliments.. glad that you enjoyed this poem.. cheers take care.
Congrats on your win, PD. I'm very happy for you as this beautiful poem deserves recognition. The love and respect you share for living things is evident in your writing. It is a beautiful, beautiful poem and hub. This ancient tree so gracefully embodies the strength it requires to live well. You captured this perfectly with your words and your heart. They are one and the same, I believe. Enjoy!
Pearl Diver, this is an awesome poem with some very thought provocative passages. You definitely have a beautiful gift with words that cross over into emotions. Congratulations.
Congratulations PD... this is such a lovely poem and the steady calm in the face of struggle is so vivid..
Great work !!
What wonders have they witnessed? Beautiful, and congratulations!
Totally, totally beautiful flowing poetry, PearlDiver. A huge congratulations for the Second Prize winning entry in this contest. Everyone wrote so many deserving poems and literature. You know how the mind brings up past experience to put into place where they have heard or seen something before? Well, I felt like I was reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" in the rhythm and movement of the lines. (I read it out loud to myself), but only after "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein told me this was a story about the life of this ancient tree. You truly made it your own. Many blessings, Debby
Great tribute to trees...one of the best I have read:)
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Hi rebekah, thank you so much for your words and your heart (AND Obvious Good Taste.. :) ). Yep, I write with my pulse and that was indeed needed to convey this poem and the life it describes. I appreciate how hard you guys worked in your judging assignment here and I thank you for that. 2nd was an excellent surprise.. especially given the talent here. Cheers rebekah, you take care.
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Hi Marlin 55, thanks very much for that.. Congratulations to you for the double whammy that you scored in the comp.. well done. I am glad that you enjoyed this poem.. being able to just complete it on time, was a prize for me... Cheers for your support.. take care
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Hi Drax, wow thanks very much for your words and the great task that you took on in the comp judging ... I appreciate your support and positive comments.. cheers mate.. you take care
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Hi there WillStar, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on this work.. Yes too few humans actually care enough to ask that question.. we tend to measure the values in all life against our own.. cheers and Congratulations to you are also in order with your writing.. I will look forward to reading your work.. take care
Tree are beautiful and extraordinary. Thanks for sharing they beauty in this poem.
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Hi Debby, thank you for taking the time to read and comment on this poem and of course for your kind words of congratulations. Yes I was lucky to have had this finished in time, as I couldn't download my images into HP for some strange reason, that also excluded me from competing in the photo section of the comp! So winning a prize with only half my work was a surprise.
I haven't read either of the authors you mentioned, though I recall Poe from Alfred Hitchcock's movies... Now that you have suggested that a similarity exists, I shall familiarize myself with them... as I really don't copy the writing or poetry styles of others, or allow their styles to influence the style that I'm trying to develop. Perhaps that seems naive or foolish on my part, but it is the only way that I have learned in my life, due to the life that I have had. What you see or read is me.. my pulse.. my perception.. my personal experiences.
Thanks again Debby.. I appreciate your support and kind words... you take care
Pearldiver, this is really an awesome piece of writing. Trees also fascinate me; I am sure they live in a dimension beyond our comprehension. Studies proved that they communicate with each other; when they face annihilation in times of drought they make their leaves uneatable for animals. This poem of yours can also be regarded as a tribute to a remarkable person. I am so in awe of this poem, and of you as a poet, able to see so much in a mere tree. Congratulations with the second place in the HubPatron of the Arts competition, though I regard this one just as good as the winner.
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Hi Beata, thank you very much for that, your kind words and support. I really like your work also and feel it captures the great colors of your life.. cheers Beata.. you take care.
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Hi SweetiePie, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on this poem.. hope you got my PM.. Cheers for being here.. you take care.
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Hello Martie.. You are so perceptive and one who has read between the lines that must to many seem very blurred. Though with all due respect to everyone reading this poem.. it was written that way intentionally and to ensure that each reader would take from it what they needed to, irrespective of how it was read!
Yes it certainly was written for a person who has had a remarkable life - oft' unseen by many. The tree is real, but it also represents perfectly the individual. So I guess the depth of the poem is indeed more than most other entries in a poetry comp.. or in a general poetic tribute to Life.
Thank you Martie.. you have a good eye (maybe two) to go with that special heart.. and I'm sure there are good rings around it too! Take care
Hello Rob ~ Well, I definitely knew that this was an original work of art. I just gave my feelings of other 'great' artists who came into my mind as I began reading. Blessings, Debby
P.S. I just read your poem aloud to my husband. He says it reminds him of Walt Whitman. So, now you have another author to research.
Congratulations, Pearldiver. This is beautiful.
a very worthy winner indeed!
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Hi Debby, thanks for that. Ono.. hahaha.. now I must read Walt Whitman also! Cheers for your support and advice Debby.. you take care.
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Hi Flora, thank you very much for taking the time to read and comment on this poem. Yes, I was lucky in the comp, but this was one of ten works that I submitted. Cheers for your positive support.. you take care.
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Hi there Greek One.. thank you very much for taking the time and your positive compliment. I appreciate your support and I'm glad you enjoyed this work. Cheers.. you take care.
PD all I can say is Wow - I loved the way it is written & it really makes a person feel as if you are in the tree's spot - I really loved this one - Great Work
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Thank you anonymous one, I appreciate your words and I'm glad that you enjoyed this poem. Cheers for taking the time... you take care.
Pearlediver, what can I say?
This is a magnificently beautiful poem. I congratulate you, Sir. I loved it.
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Hi Ian, thanks for taking the time to read this poem and for your comments. I'm glad that you enjoyed it mate, it is one of my favorites and was voted second in the last comp. Cheers.. Happy New Year.. take care and have a good one in 2012.
Your poem has moved me. I too love trees and see the great value and wisdom they offer us. I think you have inspired me to write about it. Again I am thankful that I found your work here. I love photos and think they surely do speak a thousand words or more. It is rare that I read before I look at the photos. Your poem and profile were like a magnet to my spirit. One question: How has your work been seen from space? Just curious like a child...always a child in some ways...
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Hi Starstream, thanks for taking the time to read this work and for your kind words. Trees are effectively the lungs of the world, aren't they when it gets down to it. So in that respect, trees are one of the most critical resources that we have and it is we humans who should appreciate that fact, rather than being so laid back to the thought that we can always rely on mass plantings of toxic pine forests for that role.
And.... Yes I was advised that my work had been among several pages read in the space station... Amazing.. Hahaha.. I thought that they must have been lining me up for that big blue ice-block that drops to earth when they purge their dishwasher or toilet! So remember that not every 'shooting star' is actually a star starstream! You take care and thanks again for your positive support.
Dear Peal Diver, I am a lover of Tree's as well. My kids, when they where younger, grew used to me slamming on my breaks, backing up, and getting out to snap a photo of a beautiful tree setting alone on a hillside. Or, me getting angry at a property owner as we drive by I'd be loudly mumbling to myself that they should trim that beautiful tree as I could see the lovely bones of it beneath the overgrowth. I guess it's in my blood as two uncles and many cousins are all tree trimmers.
I thoroughly enjoyed your poem! Look forward to reading your other writings!!! Ellen Karman
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Hello Ellen, nice to meet you and thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy this piece... I agree with you and I'm sure if trees could in fact have us hear them, we may well not appreciate what their message would be... we are as an inhabitant of the natural world, sadly lacking in our perspective of what constitutes 'life' to other guests of nature, I believe.
I like your 'lovely bones' comment... it takes so much to achieve such a status and yet it remains unseen, by so many. I appreciate that you found my poetry and as such, helped provide it purpose... all the best.. you take care... PD
Dear pearl Diver, Oh your replies are as beautiful as your poetry!! Ellen
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Why thank you very much Ellen, I guess if I only words to offer the world... then they may as well be good words with substance, that remain honest, positive and interesting... besides, I write from the heart... cheers.. take care.. PD
Rearldiver, beautiful pictures, great poetry, I'm speechless.
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Hi jantamaya, (great name btw) thank you for taking the time to read my work and for your positive review... I'm glad you appreciated this piece, it was a runner-up in a comp here, though many did prefer it over the eventual winner... either way, it was a poem that I enjoyed writing and one that certainly has more than one interpretation... there is a lot of excellent poetry on this site, for awhile the site had an awesome group of poets here... many have left, others have endured and gone on to write some of their best works... hope you enjoy my portfolio... cheers... you take care... PD
Wonderful poem and a great tribute to the trees, god bless.
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Hi girishpuri, thanks for taking the time to read this work and for your positive comment.. glad you enjoyed it. While it is a tribute to trees in general, it is also more subtly, a tribute to a wise man... I appreciate your kind words and support.. cheers... take care.. PD
How epic and beautiful, Thank You.
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Hi Awful Poet, thanks for taking the time to read and appreciate this work.. I'm pleased that you enjoyed this poem and its message... cheers for that.. take care.. PD
Beautiful poem with deep meaning! Enjoyed it very much..... Thanks.
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Hi LaThing, thank you for your positive review... yes this is truly a poem of depth that was actually written for a person of great character and wisdom... it turned out so well that the tree also benefited from the spirit of the true subject of the poem... glad you liked the piece... take care.. PD
What a beautiful tribute to this tree. my first hub poem I published was a tribute to a tree, but also a tribute to a special lady. I love the way you wrote this. There is always so much history in the tree, and the song "the trees know everything" is very true. They witness so much.
Beautiful poetry. :)
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Hi Cathy, glad that you read this and enjoyed it's bones.. as you have probably worked out, this piece is not solely written of tree, but also is a poem about a person who had inspired me in my life. For all the best reasons to be found within the character of the tree, we poets do tend to reflect upon that tree's attributes and identify them in those we love... I will read your tree with that in mind Cathy.
Thank you for taking the time to read mine and for your positive comments... I am honored that so many, including excellent poets like yourself, appreciated the significance and heart of this poem... cheers.. take care..PD
Beautiful and touching poem. You certainly are connected to a higher source. Thank you for sharing this powerful and moving poem.
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Oh Prisana, cheers for taking the time to appreciate this piece and for doing so with all the taste found in the words of such a quality writer in your own right. I do appreciate the opportunity to be read be one who clearly understands the subtle substances of nature, beauty and life.. Thank you for your kind words.... take care.. Namaste
Hi Pearldiver,
I've added a new poem and edited an old poem..https://hubpages.com/literature/A-Poetic-Conspirac...
Please take a look when you have time....back in Denver...4:43 AM
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Cheers, I have done that and enjoyed your efforts as usual! Cheers for the heads up and glimpse into your time in paradise... take care my friend... PD
Wow. Magnificent Job
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Hi Alihamidi, thank you so much... glad you appreciated this piece... cheers... take care... PD
A wonderful insight an individual, when alone all kinds of thoughts got through ones mind a very interesting thought here
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Hi DDE, cheers for your positive review on this piece. Yes being alone as in this poem, allows us to take in all of our surrounding environment and appreciate how life affects every living creature, rather than just our self.. thank you for taking the time to read this life... take care.. PD
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