The Old Days

There is an ancient Mariner - a garrulous old geezer - who speaks to people down at the docks: "In the old days..." Do we anticipate? Will he tell us how far he walked to school? It was better? Children didn't sass their parents? "...it was so - so win. Nowadays, it is so fail." What do we need to turn things around? A Manhattan Project?...we are appealing to his long-term, World War II memories. "Manhattan Project? Ya don't need another one; first one ain't over yet. We can't stop anymore. If we could get a good thing going, it'd go on ferever...but we cain't. We are so, so fail! " Coleridge's curse, and I ran from that old mariner, I can tell you!