 |
| The Beatles introduced on Ed Sullivan February 9, 1964 |
conceived in the 50’s when Elvis was King.
We
are God fearing, hell-raising all-American kids, educated in a small town,
taught to fear Jesus in a small town...
taught to fear Jesus in a small town...
We survived
the turbulent 60’s:
We
saw the Cold War and the end of Camelot;
watched
as Kennedy fended off the Soviets in Cuba,
working
to find peaceful solutions abroad
and
racial equality at home.
….and
was gunned down.
Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of dreams;
of
peace and tolerance, a better world for
our children, and our children’s children
our children, and our children’s children
…
and was gunned down.
Bobby,
our new hope, our golden boy
…
he too, was gunned down.
Too
young for the marches, the war surrounded us,
brought
into our homes each night by the voice of Walter Cronkite
…and like John, Martin and Bobby,
we dreamed of peace.
We are
the Beatles generation…embraced their music from moment we heard them.
We
grew up with Opie and Lassie, Robin Hood and Superman.
No
Kindles no tablets; give us a super hero comic book any day.
We
watched as Neil Armstrong took “…one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
We
listened to Dylan and Fogerty, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Jethro Tull
We Bungled in the Jungle and sang songs
of protest and antiwar;
We are
the teenagers of the ‘70’s...
We
held our collective breath waiting for draft cards to arrive.
Then, just like that, the war was over.
Then, just like that, the war was over.
Our
lives moved on, college , work, marriage, children, career…
we were the be-bop babies on a hard day’s night… and
we danced
and
we listened to the pop rock of the 80’s
that
morphed into techno, and rap, a music evolution—
a
revolution set in place by those four lads from Liverpool.
We cried over senseless murders of children; our classrooms no longer
safe-havens.
We
chose sides on gun control; yet all of our hearts mourn the innocents.
Yes,
we’ve lived through the good, the bad and the ugly—
…and
we are still going
Think
about it— we’ve been around through JFK, RFK, MLK; Elvis, the Beatles, Dylan;
war and peace, another war and so much more. We saw the fall of the Twin Towers,
and the fall of the Iron Curtain. We were here for Roe v. Wade and Watergate, Star Trek and Star Wars, and the original ‘space race.’ We’ve seen innovations in medicine, and
computers that fit in the palm of your hand. We have instant communication with
anyone, anywhere in the world. We’ve ushered in the first black president, and
may yet see the first female president. We are the computer techs and the
mechanics, the greens-keepers and bakers, the poets and the dreamers. In the almost 6 decades that we’ve been
on this earth, we have seen history…lived history…made history…
We are the gray-haired
50-something tattooed rock 'n rollers—
perhaps a little bit older and a lot less bolder than we used to be
perhaps a little bit older and a lot less bolder than we used to be
…but hell yeah, we’re still here...
Here's to us!
Here's to us!
© Ginny Brannan 2014
Who says you can't go back…looking back on the last 4 decades and beyond, on the occasion of my 40th class reunion. For my fellow classmates and my friends from BFUHS class of 1974, and all the other 'boomers who remember...
Follow the lavender links to the music and the speeches, the real trip down memory lane.
you have def lived a bit of history...and had quite the soundtrack as well...i caught a little mellancamp in there as well...
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping, Brian! It boggles my mind sometimes all that has taken place in my lifetime so far. And Mellencamp is one of my all-time favorites. His words—his music—speak to me, especially the song linked. I did grow up in a small town, and that's good enough for me!
DeleteYou bring back many memories with this one, Ginny. Some great, and some not so great. The Sixties and its aftermath was such a strange and extreme period--one that bears reflecting. Thanks for the memories...
ReplyDeleteSteve K.
Ah Steve, the 60's saw an incredible amount of change, didn't they? I was a kid, and didn't understand or appreciate much of it till I got older Two days in history I will never forget, the day JFK died: parochial school 2nd grade, Sister Anna was called into the hall, came in, tears streaming down her face. We were dismissed early, all went to church first before going home. The other day, of course, is 9/11. Thanks for taking a moment to stop and read, my friend.
DeleteIt makes you wonder what cataclysms yet unknown will be indelible in the memories of today's young folks. None, I hope; but looking at the world around us, that's unlikely. I hope the big event was a success!!!
DeleteYep, Gin. We really don't have to cast our lives' nets very far or deep to pull up a lot of what will someday (I think) be some significant History. (If they still teach it in 20 years.)
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, registered for Draft in September 1970. Eventual Draft No.: 46.
Wrote a story about my Draft physical, too.
Thank you for this profound waking dream, dear girl!
My foster brother turned 18 in May 1973, can remember him getting his draft card. But the Peace talks were already in the works and he never got called up. So glad you stayed safe, my friend. A strange and surreal time that was indeed. Thanks for stopping by Joe, always appreciate your comments, my dear friend.
ReplyDeleteWow Ginny! That is a huge, wonderful trip down memory lane. I love that you added all the links within it to more info. about some of the people and events you mention. What a long way we have come, and what a lot we've seen!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! Doesn't exactly qualify as poetry, but one of those things I had to write, flowed out from start to finish with very little editing. Could even imagine the 'links' I would add as I wrote it. It's kind of cool to be reminded of all that we have lived through! Thanks for stopping by to read and leave a comment, my friend.
Delete