The third night of Lunar Twilight 2022 is upon us, whence during the first few nights of 2023, an echo of 2022 returns. The magic of this holiday rests on the cycle of the Moon, whose current phase began last year. The Moon acts as the fading ember of Yesteryear, allowing for clemency and an extra chance to say goodbye. Another aspect of Lunar Twilight is to savor the past.
In this case, the ending theme music of the Super Mario 2 carries this theme. Looking back at life, the past is made up of layers of memory from dreams that merge with the real world, such that both worlds become one in the rear view of the minds eye.
Life is in a way like its own kind of video game with its rules, obstacles, hazards, power ups, and friendly folks who are willing to help. Where do all those elements and persons in a dream go when it ends? Are they simple figments of ones imagination? Do we suffer from schizophrenia when we dream? Or are there other layers of reality beyond the waking world? Where do all your old classmates go after graduation? What about all the old bosses and co-workers from past jobs? They all seem to disappear into the ether. Yet looking back, the warm glow of nostalgia forevermore glows in a past that once was, once upon a time. We have a collective memory of books, movies, music, and now video games.
Super Mario Bros 2 was all just a dream where we help Mario defeat the Frog King to rescue the dream fairies. The ending music is something like a lullaby. As is life, lullabies are sung to us as children, that merge into memory, provide a layer of love that seeds certain gifts in the imagination. Perhaps something of Forrest Gump in this tune, that has carried on in other forms. Who knows how this game and song has manifested into new permutations of song and play? And who can recount the times it influenced a dream?
