OLD SONGS, OLD MEMORIES

I was late night listening to some old old songs,

Different from what you are used to hearing, I think;

Lyrics almost fifty years old play their magic tune-

Could we have been that young once?

Coming of age in the ‘60’s, I still remember

Sitting at a table in the MUB, UNH, eating a hot dog,

Listening to John, Paul, George and all their friends

Thumping out of the jukebox.

We were quite something, or so we thought

But hindsight tells me you’d be looking at

Loneliness, fear, emptiness…acting so blasé,

Covering it all in a mask of bravado.

Where did all us swinging ’60’s kids go?

Still fighting their private, secret inner wars

Some success, some far below promise,

Untalked about now just as then.

We turned the world over to you,

And wonder what you’ve done with it:

Confusion,  noise, nihilism, what point of view?

Our parents said the same about us.

I wish for one night I could sit down with you

And we could together listen to the golden oldies

And try to figure out what became of us

And also what will become of you.

-27 April 2011

Chip Bergeron