One Hundred Years

A hundred years have come and gone to what wonder and tragedies have you belonged? My father: Born in the aftermath of a world at war danced to the flappings of the twenties roar, a time when poverty and wealth wore torn in two when the future feared depression's loom; just a young man filled with wide-eyed dreams in bloom where would steps move in the prophetic ravings? the Dust Bowl blackened clouds with farmers braving drowning anthems of a Star-Spangled banner still waving and the solo flight of history forever remains a mystery; political isms rise in freedoms slow demise while Hollywood reviews the movies in truth and lies; the end of an era welcomed in the shanty towns as Europe recovers with a parade of suicidal clowns; off to war drafting historic days of infamy when bloody battles raged as alliances filled the stage and at last, a momentary peace was cast; with love and hope returned again, life was never quite the same; distrust, cold war gloom threatened the next generations bloom a hated war embraced love freely, killed in a plaza at Dealy perhaps too easily, we gave it all away as nuclear power paved the new day; the power mongers rose, wealthy and the greedy exposed life continued for the bold, growing rebellious children in the fold with yet a newer fear to mold, wars and change in the aftermath for everyone who has lost their path; equality returned to the open stage, the promise of an enlightened age but time is never stationary and no one man is a visionary with walls torn down and freedom's cries history burns with false truths and lies; drugs and saturated imaged shadows quickly return to clouded hazy minds burned in foggy dreams to be unlearned and fallen heroes disappear and die close the century with disappointment and no magic panacea provided ointment now at the turn of time in the final last hurrah a battle rages yet no one with power speaks of the lesson taught, history must once again, repeat. Seen it all my dear father the foolishness, the truth, and lie, in which mankind lives and dies the messages by which the common man exists is only the futures that we all resist. A musing recollection on my father's 100 birthday. 8/19/19