Reflections on the Inauguration

[John G]

This is partially based on overheard conversation today in the office.
Not really a poem, not really prose, but hey ho.

“You going to watch the inauguration?”
“Nah, I’ll watch it on You Tube next week”
“He’s not really black though, is he?”
“I reckon he’ll be dead within the next month”
“Well it’s an historic day. Think of the struggle
Rosa Parks, the marches Jim Crow, the schools,
Mississippi, MLK and the X.
James Brown at the Apollo, Huey Newton,
Chicago ’68, I have a dream, Yusef Hawkins.”
“Sidney Poitier would have had a tear in his eye”
“Well we are all living the dream now”
“……….and if it fails it’ll be because he’s black,
an easy fall guy, an experiment not to be
tried again”
“Mohammed Ali should have been the first
Black president but he was to black and to angry”
“Wheres Will Smith?”
“……but not when he had Parkinson’s”
“Has anyone seen Bono? I though he would have been
there, sunglasses on.”
“Oprah Winfrey ….I wander if OJ is watching in his
cell”
“Some rednecks ain’t gonna be happy. Be some
pick ups wrapped around maple trees tonight”
“But we’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll all be the same”

[David]

Not so hey, not so ho. Pretty good, John. History is happening, and we're watching the Simpsons. I really should turn over.

Cheers

David

[karalma]

I really enjoyed this, particualrly the last line. It made me think about how ordinary historical events can be for some people and it's only years later that we might see the impact.

Thanks for sharing - this will be good to look back on.

[thoke]

Quite good, quite funny, but could do with a second draft. You spelled 'wonder' wrong, and the ellipses are too long.

Ben

[Lake]

That's really good and fun. And you're clever jotting down others' conversation without showing your own point of view (or maybe you did if you were one of them). It's always nice to listen to what other people think and we always hope for the best.

Cheers,

Lake

[arunansu]

I liked the conversational tone of the poem. Gorgeous write.

[mesmie]

hmmm...think there were many conversations just like this going on in many work places John
I my opinion it takes round fifty years or so for people to realise historical events..fun write
but also shows the disinterest of many..


thanks for the read


mes

[catastrotopia]

hi john,

as someone who grew up with all those pick-up trucks & now lives 10 minutes from the action in DC, it's fun to eavesdrop on this conversation. clean this one up a little -- definitely a keeper!

-c

[k-j]

This is quality, and it makes me yearn for the kind of office where people spoke, no matter how foolishly, of things other than golf, cars, and Mexican holiday resorts.

Great snippets, well put-together, just the right length.