Age of 55

Coming of Age Sitting on my front porch Watching the world go by I wonder what I’ve learned At the age of 55? What were the 60’s all about? Did we need to yell and shout As young men died and distant wars raged Did we learn anything in the haze? Coming of age in the 70’s Not long after Vietnam I learned from the media Not speaking up, thing go wrong. The 80’s gave us disco And songs everyone knew With aerobic dance in colorful leotards And jogging in Nike shoes But the shadow of war In the 90’s loomed wide As our smart bombs and rockets Lit a distant desert sky Retaliation came to our unwatched shore As great towers fell, floor by floor A new patriotism built from fear Started the new millennium, goals unclear Yet a decade goes by and Bombs still fill the distant desert sky Pat downs at our airports Will not soon subside Pulling troops out of one desert To battle somewhere else Does not bring peace to people who Can’t accept the differences within their selves. Desert Storm, Vietnam, Korea and WW2 When will we learn and surmise This planet cannot, will not survive If we continue to conquer and divide. Sitting on the front porch Watching the world go by Have I learned anything At the age of 55?