In 2014 I wrote a long, summary poem for our 50th reunion. Its meter is trochaic rather than anapæstic and the lines per stanza are irregular, ranging from two to seven.
I hope you enjoy the nostalgia and the temporary break from 5-liners.
FIRST OF THE BOOMERS
by Phil Graham, Ada ,
OK
What a decade! It was nifty!
No one had a TV set,
Too few stations on air yet.
We kept love birds in a cage,
On the radio, Patti Page,
Baby Snooks and Our Miss Brooks
HiYo Silver, Dragnet’s crooks.
Ozzie and Harriet, David and
Ricky,
Dime Dell comics, Donald and
Mickey.
Movie serials, really
thrillin!’
Lives saved thanks to
penicillin.
Play yells of “Geronimo!”
Or “Bombs away over Tokyo
Telling Little Moron jokes,
Playing cards stuck in your
spokes.
Friends with bunk or trundle
beds,
Buster Browns and US Keds.
Milk in bottles on the stoop,
Could your yoyo loop-the-loop?
Join Cub Scout or Blue Bird troop.
Dick and Jane taught us to read
Once we caught on, it did lead
To Bobbsey Twins, the Hardys,
too,
Cherry Ames
Adjustable roller skates
tightened with keys,
Holes in britches? Mom patched knees.
Girls played jacks and boys
spun tops,
Many backyards still raised
crops.
Fast food joints were yet to
come,
Dairy Queen™ sufficed for some
But served just ice cream for
your tum.
Late in 1954,
Came a TV from the store!
Guess my dad was poor no more.
Bald Phil Silvers starred as
“Bilko”
We watched on our 12” Philco™.
Mickey Mouse Club would arrive
Every weekday, four ‘til five.
Antenna required adjusting
Any time the wind was gusting
Shows were wholesome, zero
lusting.
Petticoats of crinoline,
“The Thing” raised our
adrenaline.
Nineteen-nine for gasoline
Every child got Salk Vaccine.
We advanced from, “Number,
please”
To dialed digits with FE’s
Now those letters are two 3’s.
Rock ‘n Roll excited us
But scared our parents, made
‘em fuss
Meanwhile, some kids learned to
cuss.
Sputnik caused much awe and
fear,
Space Race found us in the rear
Fall-out shelters for the rich
Khruschev was a son-of-a-bitch.
’58 brought Junior High,
Scared to death but do not cry
All these new kids! Will they like me?
I’m so dorky, please, God,
strike me!
Everyone thinks I’m a geek
(Truth be known, they’re just
as meek.)
Football hero? Johnny U.
Baseball? Mantle, Campy, too.
Boys’ hair had lots of goop,
Everyone tried Hula Hoop™
45’s -- our choice in vinyl,
Buddy Holly’s flight was final
Elvis always topped the charts,
You weren’t cool if you liked arts.
Clearasil™ for all our zits,
Girls were shaving legs and
pits
Maybelline™ went on their
lashes,
Boys were running gym class
dashes
Meant to combat hormone
flashes.
Radio was now "Top 40"
Some kids started getting
courty
Parent drove you on your date
Ten p.m. considered late
Didn’t want you ‘going steady,’
“Play the field until you’re
ready.”
Cushman Eagles™ were the rage
Begged for one, my folks were
sage,
“No!” insured that I would age.
Every Sunday we were churched
Other options were not searched
Lest the family name be
smirched
So there in our pews we
perched.
School dress code (to prevent
sin?)
“Boys, your shirts should be
tucked in
Girls, your skirts must reach
the shin.”
Else they’d call your
next-of-kin.
Girls all had black bucket purses
Large enough for tomes of
verses
Shiny penny in your loafers
Office aides were used as
gofers.
Blue jeans were a boy’s main
pants
Worn except to church or dance
Just conform, don’t take a chance,
Later, they’d to slacks advance.
Football ruled Fall Friday
nights
We aspired to reach the heights
Of being down there, under
lights,
Cheering or in moleskin tights.
Autumn of our ninth grade year
Nixon sweated, seemed to sneer
Debating, JFK kicked rear.
Classes now not always easy,
Algebra made many queasy
Cafeteria rarely pleasy
Some sneaked off for lunches
greasy.
Junior High School years were
ending
We were ‘Freshmen,’ soon
ascending
To our final years of tending.
Sophomore school year tried
your soul
Back to bottom of totem pole
Popularity still the goal.
Mostly filled with purity,
We verged on maturity
But we lacked security
For when you cannot drive a car
You are stuck right where you
are
And turning sixteen seemed so
far…
World History, Leif the Viking,
Frog-dissecting few were liking
New Math had us all quite
puzzled
Between classes, lovers
nuzzled.
Old enough? Took Driver’s Ed
Finally, you got “street cred”
Walking? Rather be caught dead!
Junior year arrived and went
Dragging Main
is how we spent
Many nights – don’t get a dent
In the car your daddy lent.
Braved the Cuban Missile Crisis
No inflation, real low prices
Smoking was among our vices.
Chubby Checker did The Twist
Of movies that should not be
missed.
Motown girl groups sang in
trios,
Boys shot snooker out at Leo’s.
While we learned vulgarity,
Negroes marched for parity.
Summer brought Bermuda shorts
We’d cruise by the tennis
courts
Some (I heard) drank liquor
snorts!
“Runaway” and “Walk, Don’t Run”
Beachboys sang of surfin’ fun
One more school year ‘til we’re
done.
Seniors finally! Weren’t we cool?
Some were picking college
school
Others knew a job would rule
To keep from being called a
fool.
On November 22nd
Future bright no longer
beckoned
How can we forget the day
That Oswald murdered JFK?
All the U.S.
Camelot had been brought down.
Three months later, naught
seemed tragic,
What chord changes! First time ever
Rock and roll had been so
clever
Some folks focused on their
hair
We knew so much more was there.
Late in May, the day arrived,
That which for twelve years
we’d strived
Wait! Should that verb form be “striven?”
Oh, don’t sweat it, you’ve been
driven
Hard enough, now just relax,
Enjoy the moment to the max.
Mortar board hat, flip your tassel,
Yes, it was worth all the
hassle!
To quote Midnight the Cat, "Niiice."
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