Looking Back At My Life

My past sits on a shelf, in pictures, books and letters Occasionally I take it down, to make the present better Those youthful days back at home, when life was in full bloom Taken for granted they slipped away, while I chinned myself on the moon Nameless faces and faceless names, colors fade to black and white Evolving with perpetual change, like days that hide in the nights The 50's were a shooting star, for me they passed in stealth In brotherly love on gravel roads, our dreams were untapped wealth On a transistor radio the 60's played as social consciousness awakened In hallucinations of free love and civil rights, faith in tradition was shaken My long hair 70's were loud, the nation showed both sides of it's face Personal independence led to parenthood , I failed miserably in disgrace Finding out the hard way love isn't free, independence has a price Again the music changed with the decade, and in life I went back for another slice In the 80's I skied in the powder, the first half is still a blur As I slalomed down the hill I found true love and surrendered my vices for her The 90's were a time of gains and losses, old family died as new emerged Struggling to climb to the top, in my family my worth was submerged Shunning old friends and old habits, I began turning into my dad Trying to lead a good example, so my children would make better choices than I had The dawn of a new millennium, technology spread like a disease My children were affected early, then poor health knocked me to my knees My life has seen many changes, just like the times that have passed But now broken down and depressed, I've taken my foot off the gas For now, I put memories back on the shelf, like an old dog, I'll gnaw on the bone But I still hold my head up high, cause I did it all on my own an original poem by the "poemdog" Daniel Turner