Thursday, March 08, 2007

Part VII

I remember the good times,
and not just with the glasses
colored rosy shades, not just
with those sloppy reminiscences
of a night in which we drank
too much and laughed too loud
and said things we thought we
meant with all our hearts.

I remember the good times,
when I believed in people
and ideas more than I've
come to do in recent years,
when the values that have
been made hollow were as
solid as structural beams,
and never seemed as if
they would buckle.

I remember the good times,
when I never would have
judged a person for
voting preference, or
even thought to do so,
when the things that
the powerful people told
us sometimes seemed true,
when the little guy would
occasionally win.

I remember the good times,
when people meant more than
money, when loyalty was the
highest ideal, when being
kind and living a decent life
were all you really wanted
out of your time on this
spinning blue marble.

I remember the good times,
the innocent times, I guess,
when we knew little enough
to hope, when we trusted
well enough to sleep easy,
and thought every problem
would, eventually, yield
to our irrepressible
enthusiasm.


--This poem was inspired by the piano solo “Part VII”, and also suggested by the title of a further piano solo, “The Good America”, both from Keith Jarrett's recent release “The Carnegie Hall Concert”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Strait up and to the point Firehawk. I certainly remember the “Good America”. I don't think it's a mirage, not just the view through Ronald Regan's, rose colored, rear view mirror. This is not ancient history.

There was a time, not long ago, when Americans didn't spy on one another. We didn't torture uncharged inmates in Cuban prisons. We built levees in Louisiana. Now it seems, we can't see our way clear to even repair them. This 9-11 fear has gone way to far. It's not rational. It feels ugly. We can only hope the tide is turning.

This is a good piece.

Anonymous said...

This says so much about the changing values of society!.Those "Good Times" weren't so long ago as Swiftboat so aptly pointed out, but now, seem so irretrievable. A sad indictment on society's declining mores. Nice tribute to Keith Jarrett.

Anonymous said...

This says so much about the changing values of society!.Those "Good Times" weren't so long ago as Swiftboat so aptly pointed out, but now, seem so irretrievable. A sad indictment on society's declining mores. Nice tribute to Keith Jarrett.

Anonymous said...

Another very meaningful piece of work. It certainly speaks to all of us who've been there and done that. Brings on a serious case of nostalgia, I'm afraid. Sometimes we really need to look hard for the strands of beauty in todays world, but I'm convinced that they are there, and what a reward they are, when we are able to find them.

Patrick M. Tracy said...

Swiftboat,

I agree with your whole thesis here. It does feel ugly sometimes, and I hate to feel that way about my country. I just watched Al Gore's movie the other day, and it's so full of frightening eventualities that you wonder how people can trundle along without thinking about it day after day. I'm glad you liked the post, and thanks for coming by.

Bobby,

There have never been "Good Times" that have been without hardship, without human cruelty, without tragedy, but I seem to remember a time when things made more sense than they do now. As for the Jarrett song, I'm sure that you'll see the connection if you can listen to the piece after which this poem was named. Hope you're well, and hope to see you back soon.

Doc,

We're deep in the mud, and the dirty water's creeping up our backs. Still, the world has a lot of beauty in it. It's just that you have to squint to see it...

M. Shahin said...

Yeah, you do have to squint to see it but it is there. It is sad that we have to struggle to see it. My mom talks about the good times a lot, and it is something I wish we could go back to. I think everyone realizes there is something wrong with our country, but many of us don't seem to know what to do about it. Can we retrieve those good times again? I hope so, and I have to hope because that is how I make it through every day.

Great words to remind us, Patrick.

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