David Crandall Poet Couplet

1968

My t-shirt had holes, and my jeans had some patches. 
My feet were bare, and my elbows both had scratches. 
The grownups were all indoors and the kids were out of sight.  
'Twas a perfect childhood, 'neith a sun that shined so bright.
As we rode our bikes to the beach in nineteen sixty eight,  
we felt the sea breeze on our faces.  Everything was great.   
Blissfully unaware of the nightmare in the jungle land,
I collected seashells in the Southern California sand. 
My parents called me inside, with news, one cloudy day,
about the blast that blew my happy childhood away.

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Gershon Wolf November 12, 2025 at 8:53 PM Vietnam -- the first of the disastrous media-produced wars, if you ask me. We should have whipped those vile Viet Cong in a year or so. But NOOO. Can't hurt our fellow humans and all that do-gooder commentary. Never forget the bloodbath that ensued when we withdrew. Bah! Humbug! David Crandall November 12, 2025 at 9:37 PM Thanks very much for your comments :-))

sara Etgen-Baker November 12, 2025 at 5:36 PM I appreciate the way you personalized the tragedy of the Vietnam War. I still recall all the television coverage....the footage shaped an entire generation. Well done. David Crandall November 12, 2025 at 9:36 PM Thanks, Sara!

Kim Rodrigues November 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM A good write. You bring us back to a lovely childhood.p the the heart break and tragedy of Vietnam. Kim Rodrigues November 13, 2025 at 6:51 PM Our minds go where they will. We think we control the narrative…lol. David Crandall November 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM Thanks, Kim. It's weird, when I started this poem, it was just going to be about the pleasure of growing up in the 60s, unsupervised, and somehow, it took a dark turn.

Linda Alice Fowler November 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM It changed much, Dave, and devastated some idealistic youth, taking dreams and lives. A sad time. David Crandall November 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM Indeed, I'm lucky to say, I only experienced to good part of this poem, and not the last couplet. David Crandall November 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM Indeed, I'm lucky to say, I only experienced to good part of this poem, and not the last couplet.