It is late.
The music playing on the radio
takes me back to a time
when music spoke to and for
a generation. Give Peace A Chance.
It was a time of smoke filled
coffee houses, Dylanesque singers
on the stage, singing about Maggie's
Farm and Diamond Joe. Trying hard
to prove what? That they couldn't sing,
like Dylan couldn't sing. It was talent.
We all wanted to be there - Haight Ashbury.
San Francisco, with Flowers in Our Hair.
Or Yorkville in Toronto where all the hippies hung out.
What a time. We thought we had rediscovered
Eden. Instead, we discovered own version of
hell on earth. At least that is what it looks
like from this side of the time warp.
We dropped out, turned on, tuned out in droves.
We thumbed our noses at the establishment,
but in time we became the establishment,
and what a mess we have made. We started out
so grand - free love, end war, love your neighbour.
But, we did give the world Greenpeace, Amnesty International
I am proud of that accomplishment of our generation.
But - we have turned into a greedy bunch of f**ks haven't we.
Today we face financial turmoil, and for what?.
The almighty dollar, that thing we thought not worthy
of our time 35 years ago. 'The times they are a changing'
Dylan got that one bang on.
I sound cynical, without hope. But that is not true.
I see hope in the small things around me.
The hope is in the people fighting for the environment
Taking a stand against might corporations - they keep
the spirit of that time alive. I see hope in leaders that
come along and instill in their countrymen a sense of
hope that was lost somewhere along the way.
I see hope in the grassroot organizations that keep on
going in spite of great odds. They fix up neighbourhoods,
clean up empty lots, bring a bit of green to dark dank
city blocks. They are my hope, and my belief that while
so many lost their way, some never did.
The dream didn't die, it just went into hibernation.
A contest entry
- days of vinyl & flowers in your hair by Nicolette.
2200 points, ended October 12, 2008, 16 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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This poem took me back
This reminds me of our naive, silly, youth. But, it was fun thinking we had "invented" something, and had not merely discovered it
The Bob Dylan not being able to sing line was great. He really couldn't.
I like this poem. It makes me feel 16 again, back when I was agitated, but, not so cynical. -
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Thanks. It was a fun time - a good time to be young. Dylan couldn't sing - but he did speak for a generation at times. At least for me he did. Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed the poem.
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"The times they are a changing'
Dylan got that one bang on."
Dylan got it, and you got it too in this poem. I was born in the early sixties, and living in South Africa I just missed the times you wrote about here. Somehow I felt as if I was born too late, just too late - but I've been involved in "change" all my life; I guess this is why I'm hosting this contest. But my co-judge, Guy, he was part this and I just hang on his lips for everything he tells me, lol.
I liked the natural progression of this poem, the then and the now...what we thought, what we became. Life was simpler then, but still bigger, bigger than the self. But as you've said so well here, hope is still alive - just differently. Thank you for this walk from yesterday to today - I enjoyed this.
Thank you for sharing it with us in the contest.
~ Nicolette
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I was a fixture of this time and boy have you taken me aback! Gosh! I can remember my "hippie" days and feel they were a necessary part of my growing up. I think I might be stuck. I still consider myself ant-establishment, am self-employed and occasionally sit and daydream as if I just dropped a downer. I did, however, give up getting high. Somehow I think that would have been the death of me. The dream is on its way out of that cave of "hibernation". I personally think, we may be looking at a generation that will give our castle in the sky mouth to mouth...
I loved every single word written here and smiled in so many places. I wish I could highlight a passage that was my favorite but I am truly not into copy/paste an entire poem.
BRILLIANT!
I wish you well in the challenge my sister.
Much Love Always ♥
Renee
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lol. i heard someone say once: "the generation that once dropped acid to escape reality, now take antacid to deal with it."
i love all your references, but find myself thinking that not once in this contest has anyone mentioned that: "you can get anything you want, at Alice's restaurant." lolol
us kids back then did invest a lot of importance in who we were and what we thought, and like you point out, many of us now struggle against some who were comrades in adversity.
i guess we forgot that people will be people, regardless of philosophy or good intention, and that "life goes on, within us, and without us."
sadly, the Age of Enlightenment remains a long ways off
thanks so much for this piece
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Thanks for your comment. When I talk about the people losing their way, I am one of those. I got married, had a family and those things became what was important. Nothing wrong in that, I just made my life a little smaller. Now, I am not married and my children are grown. I am looking around and wondering what happened. In all honesty - I think it was just life. Life happend to us. I am now involved (again) in some grassroot organizations, and trying to make a difference once more.
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