When Sedate Age Remembers Crazy Youth

I'm a child of the '60's, not quite a flower child, never really a hippie (though my ponytail drove my uncle nuts!) but still I ate the ever crunchy Beatles for breakfast, lunch, dinner and roasted the Stones whenever a lady came by. I was free then or so I told myself, free to travel the world, free to love and then, inevitably, always leave-- free to dream and free to fail it seemed. I owned only myself but I owed no one-- both big mistakes illusions really, for we own nothing save our souls, we owe everything to everyone, most of all we owe God, be we Baptist or Hindu, Catholic or Jew, Muslim or atheist:we owe. Most young ones learn in time-- we are not free, we are not strong, we are not whole. We hunger for more than food, we thirst for more than water, we need more than money, and we need more than our minds. We are the animal never sated, never full, never replete. We are the animal ever restless, sooo easily bored, even of life sometimes. Is that why we argue and fight, commit pointless crimes, end long marriages, spurn our friends, chase youth when youth has become less than a dream? Is that really why nations go to war, because of boredom? We do we always feel we are missing out on something? Now that I am old, I have no answers. I thought I would by now, I thought I'd understand myself, you, well, everyone! And I would know just why I was so dumb when I was young, but I don't even know why I am so foolish old.... [written and posted 11/14/20]