Home
Papers, Essays, Etc.
 Punk Paper
Poetry
Poetry Page 1
Poetry Page 2
Poetry Page 3
Poetry Page 4
Freshly Published
Rants and Raves
HWS Rant
Stories
Story 1
Writings by Others
Children of the 80s
A Story
KateChopin The Story of AnHour
|
 Children of the 80's |
 |
| I don't know who wrote this, but I like it a lot. Enjoy! :-) |
We are the children of the Eighties.
We are not the first "lost generation"
nor today's lost generation; in fact,
we think we know just where we stand -
or are discovering it as we speak.
We are the ones who played with
Lego Building Blocks when they were just building blocks,
and gave Malibu Barbie crewcuts with
safety scissors that never really cut.
We collected Garbage Pail Kids and Cabbage Patch Kids
and My Little Ponies and Hot Wheels and
He-Man action figures and thought that She-Ra
looked just a little bit like I would when I was a woman.
Big Wheels and bicycles with streamers
were the way to go, and sidewalk chalk
was all you needed to build a city.
Imagination was the key.
It made the Ewok treehouse big enough
for you to be Luke and the kitchen table
and a sheet dark enough to be a tent in the forest.
Your world was the backyard and it was all you needed.
With your pink portable cassette tape player,
Debbie Gibson sang backup to you and everyone
wanted a shirt like the Material Girl and a glove
like Michael Jackson's.
Today we're the ones who sing along
with Bruce Springsteen and the Bangles
and have no idea why.
We recite lines with the Ghostbusters
and still look to the Goonies for a great adventure.
We flip through t.v. stations and stop
at the A-Team and Knight Rider and Fame
and laugh with The Cosby Show and Family Ties
and Punky Brewster and "what you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
We hold strong affection for The Muppets and The Gummy Bears
and why did they take the Smurfs off the air?
After school specials were all about cigarettes and step-families.
The Polka Dot Door was nothing like Barney,
and aren't the Power Rangers just Voltron reincarnated?
We are the ones who still read Nancy Drew and
The Hardy Boys, The Bobsey Twins, Beverly Cleary
and Judy Blume, Richard Scarey and the Electric Company.
Friendship bracelets were ties you couldn't break
and friendship pins went on shoes -
preferably hightop velcro Reeboks -
and pegged jeans were in, as were Units belts
and layered socks and jean jackets and jams
and charm necklaces and side pony tails and
just plain tails.
Rave was a girl's best friend; braces with
coloured rubber bands made you cool.
The backdoor was always open and Mom only served
red Kool-Aid to the neighborhood kids -
never drank New Coke.
Entertainment was cheap and lasted for hours.
All you needed to be a princess was high heels
and an apron. The Sit-n-Spin always
made you dizzy but never made you stop.
Pogoballs were dangerous weapons and
Chinese Jump Rope never failed to trip someone.
In your Underoos you were Wonder Woman
or Superman or R2D2
and in your treehouse you were king.
In the Eighties, nothing was wrong.
Did you know the president was shot?
Did you ever play in a bomb shelter?
Did you see the Challenger Explode or feed the homeless man?
We forgot Vietnam and watched Tienanman's Square on CNN
and bought pieces of the Berlin Wall at the store.
AIDS was not the number one killer in the United States.
We didn't start the fire, Billy Joel.
In the Eighties, we redefined the American Dream,
and those years defined us.
We are the generation in between strife
and and facing strife and not turning our backs.
The Eighties may have made us idealistic, but it is that idealism
that will push us to succeed and be passed
on to our children -
the first children of the twenty-first century.
Never forget - we are the children of the Eighties.
Author Unknown
|
|
