a poem

4/16/2019

I wrote this poem in response to one written by a gen x-er about how the older generation cannot understand his generation. A perennial problem that I've been on both sides of now. The feelings he was expressing were much like I was feeling back in the 1970s. The only difference was the influence of screens and social media that pervaded his poem.

Generation Gap

This dry gully
filled with misunderstanding
Words shredded on
nettles of neglect

If only...
You don't...
But I...
You can't...

Abandoned pages of
you never listen to me
With whispers of
you don't love me
in between the lines

litter the wasteland
between us

Back in the day. 1975.

4 Comments

Isaac

5/29/2019 12:13:31 pm

Nice. What was the response of your 1970's self after reading this?

Willow

5/29/2019 08:41:12 pm

My 1970s self for sure did not have any perspective...

Beth Overmyer link

5/31/2019 10:16:12 pm

I especially like your turn of phrase "nettles of neglect." If we don't listen and try to understand each other, it's not passivity: it's outright active abuse. That's my take on it, anyway--that's where your strong verbs were leading me. Well-written!

6/1/2019 07:53:14 am

This current time appears to be all about duality and us vs. them. If you sit and listen where people talk honestly - in 12 step meetings or an energy healing session and you hear what people are truly struggling with, it becomes apparent that we are not so different after all. If you are 19 or 90 - as the Beatles said - "all you need is love."

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

every picture tells a story . . .

a poem

Leave a Reply.

Willow Thomson

archives

categories