Sue Bower,
Jefferson City
Dear Editor,
That was then, this is now.
Then we woke up in the middle of the night
to watch shooting stars, what a beautiful sight
Then we watched clouds, finding monsters and such
Now our news is consumed with real monsters, too much
Our front doors were open and keys were in cars,
There was no karaoke in neighborhood bars
Back then "school trouble" meant trouble with dad,
today no laws apply when mobs rule, ain't you glad?
Skirts at your knees were respectfully worn,
now shirts look like bras and jeans are all torn
Wash was hung out on the line to get dry,
and mouths got washed out with soap if we'd lie,
Hand-cranked homemade ice cream was the best in the world,
and we stood and saluted when our flag was unfurled.
Churches on Sunday meant families would meet
and spend time together as one, what a treat
Today Zoom and Facetime define family time,
leaving sporatic short memories, if that, to remind
We were friends, kin and neighbors,
we knew who to trust and the names of the people next door,
Now we are strangers, giving brief nods, unaware, skeptical, armored and more
Where community meant first names and true helping hands,
today it's a landscape of generational bands,
where selfishness feeds the political flames that have burned and are burning our American lands
Good for all is oer-shadowed by one's selfish needs,
like a tuba's loud oompahs drown out a band's reeds.
What do we want our future to be: a strong heart-felt hand up or a hand, out for free?
We had prayer in school; we saluted our flag;
now we are our own gods -- don't mean to brag
our pennies meant something; we even had mills;
we saved for the things that we'd need,
now we struggle to find food and gas for the car,
thank goodness that's not true for weed
our spankless indulgence of children's displays have allowed them to think that all is okay
but I wonder how soon our lenders will say, you have far overspent, and now you must pay
We were warned that our future was in our own hands,
now we're watching our greed destroy our own lands,
and the diet we face in repairing our fate
may just be too stringent and far, far too late.