Century Passed

The world has changed so much in the last century.
Automobiles, aeroplanes, mobile phones, broadband internet and digital TV.
The 19-teens brought tanks and automated armoury.
First World War 1914.
1916: Irish Uprising.

The 1920’s brought my grandparents and J.M. Barrie,
Peter Pan and Irish Rebelry
Civil war form 1923.

The 1930’s brought Dracula films and Hitler rose to Nazi
The start of fascism, Hitler and Mussolini.
1939 brought the start of World War number Two
Genocide killing Jews, traitors and gypsies.

In 1945 the end came of that.
Mussolini was hung while thousands lowered their hats.
In a dark, dank bunker underground Hitler took his life,
God forbid he see the last fight!

The 1950s brought yet more war upon we
America and Russia
The Cold War they called the war between thee.
Two countries who fought on the same side for World War Two.
Stalin’s communists fighting America’s capitalists and liberties.
Freedom of speech, belief and money.
No way! In Stalin’s not-democracy.
Korean War!
Gracious me! Will people ever stop fighting?
Castro’s Missile Crisis.
JFK’s assassination.
All the while Marilyn Monroe came and left,
When Elvis truly was the king
And dance halls in Ireland were the “it” thing.

The swinging ‘60s;
Beehives and polka dots.
Hippies came in,
All listening to Bob Dylan.
Hammer House of Horrors set the mark for all the horror fan.

The 1970s,
The decade of decadence.
Woodstock.
The Doors.
Smoking pot.
LSD tripping.
Hunter S. Thompson’s fear and loathing.
VW busses.
All the protests fighting blood gushes.
Vietnam War, killing innocents.
Drafting out by birthday
No hope of exemption.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic;
London was the place to be
Phil Lynnott and Freddie Mercury
The budding stars of what would be;
The best generation ever! in the eyes of you and me.
Punks causing anarchy
Sex Pistols banned from everywhere because the Queen was in power
And they didn’t care!

The 1980s brought neon colours and horrible miss-matches.
Padded shoulders and puffy sleeves
Nintendos and Rubik’s cubes.
Oh what glee!

The 90s were good;
They brought me!
Mobile phones for you and me
The grunge movement, the latest fad.
Kurt Cobain was far from glad.
Cut-off jeans and flannel tees.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam and SoundGarden the ultimate three.
World of mourning; Kurt shot himself dead.
Princess Di went to her eternal bed
And Freddie Mercury left us too
The world of Queen flushed down the loo.

The noughties so far are cool.
Although updated technology is sometimes cruel.
People getting robbed over the internet.
Youngsters abused through mobile phones.
Hardly the safest world for you and me.
The legend of Johnny Cash R.I.P.
The euro stripping our country of its identity
The IRA, DeV and Michael Collins fought so hard for our independency
Everyone was full of glee.
Now we’re back just the way we were;
Part of someone else’s government with a seat for us out in Belgium
Oh, we should be so happy!
I don’t know why I’m complaining.
After all, I’m only a teen.
Sitting here, looking at my collection of books and CDs.

But for all the war;
The almost-start of World War Three
You’d think that families in Africa could live like you and I
And not die.