Linears and Absolutes – Free Verse – Speakeasy#151

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Georgia

Linears and absolutes

Life had once been defined
By linears and absolutes.

Then along came the 60s …
In a world finally recovered
From the Second World War,
With its Baby Boomers
And its prosperity …

Women and blacks
And those people who believed
That the world should finally follow
The splendid models
Based on the ideals preached
In schools and on TV,
Took to the streets
In WASP country, USA…

The liberated or would be so
The protesters against senseless war
Those who could not share the wealth
Raised a cry across the land …

People died at Kent State
People died across the south
People died in Viet Nam
Leader’s rose…and were shot dead.
They touched the moon one day
And believed in what they said …

Then, the bubble burst
Yuppies replaced Hippies
And the power left the flowers
All returned to normality …

The majority remained where
It’d always been
Looking on the side-lines
Where it sat and moaned
Lamenting
That the economy was bad …

Then the establishment
Retrenched and went ahead
Doing what it always did:
Defined Life …
By linears and absolutes.

Written for: Speakeasy #151

28 thoughts on “Linears and Absolutes – Free Verse – Speakeasy#151”

Oloriel on March 5, 2014 at 12:00 said:

A very powerfull poem, Bastet, and I am adoring the photo!
Don’t know if you ahve noticed, I know you are fairly busy, but I have tagged you for a blog hop on my blog. I would, and I know others would, love to know more and read more about your inspiration and writing 😀

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- Bastet on March 5, 2014 at 14:58 said:
  
  Thanks…I didn’t see the your post until today. I’ve never done a blog hop, but it sounds fun! Thanks for thinking of me 😀
  
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aishasoasis on March 5, 2014 at 13:38 said:

This is gorgeous, Bastet, so evocative and sadly profound truth about the cycling nature of politics. Beautifully written!

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- Bastet on March 5, 2014 at 15:05 said:
  
  Thanks Aisha…unfortunately a sad subject. Glad you liked it.
  
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  - aishasoasis on March 5, 2014 at 17:55 said:
    
    You know Bastet, I was a teen in the 70’s, living in the san francisco bay area, and cycled through the viet nam politics… now I’m living in Egypt, cycling through the revolutions here and I understand your subject because of my experiences. Your words speak quite powerfully to me, Dearheart, thank you for your perceptive gift with words!
    
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    - Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 05:17 said:
      
      I can imagine you’d have understood these words more than most. In the 70s I was in my twenties and lived first in Italy during the Red Brigade period alternating with Africa where I cycled through revolutions…I just wish that for once the people really would get their act together, but seems to me, that eventually they fold and deligate to the elite again. I’m glad you appreciated the poem though. Have a great day Aisha.
      
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      - aishasoasis on March 6, 2014 at 06:09 said:
        
        Oh, you’ve seen these cycles clearly, then, haven’t you – Italy and Africa too! It’s so depressing to me to find out that the people can effectively generate a complete revolution, turn out in the multiple millions, topple an entire regime, and less than one year later have absolutely nothing to show for it. I haven’t found a moral for that story yet, have you?
        
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      - Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 06:57 said:
        
        I’m afraid there isn’t much of a moral in that story. Fact is you can hold those types of emotions only for so long..but then one has a life to lead, children to raise, a job to go to or a farm to keep going…revolution is a word rooted in revolve…and that’s just what happens I think…people revolve and go back to square one. Politicians and power mongers life for power, they wait for the people to go back to their lives and it’s then work as usual for them. What we need is evolution a much longer process.
        
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      - aishasoasis on March 6, 2014 at 09:34 said:
        
        So eloquently stated Bastet! I swear every word you say is true. I watched it happen right here in the bright egyptian daylight with nary a coy eyelash batted. The old regime waited in the wings and created every possible obstacle to ensure the failure of the newly and finally democratically elected group. It was a group that would have failed anyway, if they had just waited for the next round of elections! I don’t believe in democracy anymore, I see it can’t be achieved by politicians… ten supporters is all it takes for a politician to start dreaming of being king… do you think monarchism is viable, Bastet? I’m still contemplating that one, in search of the better system of government…
        
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      - Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 14:00 said:
        
        Oh my…actually no, I think monarchism is actually what we’re dealing with in disguise ;-). If you look at history, remembering that you’re not one of the elite, you’ll find that monarchy wasn’t so great for most people. The democracy experiment is still fairly new. In ancient Greece, only Athens played around with the idea and it was pretty restricted. The problem with democracy is that you have to have people who are interested in politics…that is in the larger sense…making things work for everyone. From my experience I’ve seen it work in small communities where everyone more or less participates in what’s going on. Still perhaps there is still some form of government that will manage the public welfare in a better fashion then what we’ve got now.
        
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ranu802 on March 5, 2014 at 18:08 said:

Wonderful poem.

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- Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 05:18 said:
  
  Thanks!
  
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jannatwrites on March 6, 2014 at 06:57 said:

I was born in the seventies, so my feel for the time periods before that come from listening to my grandparents and parents talk of their time. This being said, the stanza about the yuppies was one I could relate to. Beautifully done!

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- Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 07:04 said:
  
  Thanks…a little granny here talking about times far in the past. I remember when I first read about the Yuppies in the early 70s in Time Magazine and the feeling let down…little did I know that I’d live through quite a few social upheavels in other parts of the world at the time…
  
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Tracesofthesoul on March 6, 2014 at 07:43 said:

Darn! My computer erased my comment (sigh) here we go again…I love how you write important issues in poetic form…it makes it easier to read and digest. People read and listen better. you have a gift, Georgia, creating awareness as poets, writers and song writers all over the world for ever, hve done, you carry on this beautifully. Bless you.

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- Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 08:06 said:
  
  thanks…but let’s not let it get out or people won’t read the poems any more (rofl)…I agree, it’s easier to communicate hard subjects in fewer words. Especially in an information waterlogged world like ours. Thanks dear, and by the by yout don’t do so bad yourself! Fact is you touch on some really important in indigestable topics in such a sensitive way.
  
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  - Tracesofthesoul on March 6, 2014 at 08:19 said:
    
    Thanks but you’re way smarter 😉
    
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    - Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 13:44 said:
      
      Don’t underate yourself 😉
      
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      - Tracesofthesoul on March 6, 2014 at 14:18 said:
        
        😉
        
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atrm61 on March 6, 2014 at 09:39 said:

Ah,life comes full circle!Excellent writing,portraying the ups and downs and the changing times and that ending,it said it all-whoa!Loved it Georgia 🙂

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- Bastet on March 6, 2014 at 14:01 said:
  
  Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. There is a point though to be made, we do a lot of circling, but little changes do get made from time to time. 🙂
  
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  - atrm61 on March 6, 2014 at 14:23 said:
    
    No arguments there-as they say change is the only static and not all change is bad 🙂
    
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    - Bastet on March 7, 2014 at 05:33 said:
      
      🙂 could be.
      
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      - atrm61 on March 7, 2014 at 07:27 said:
        
        🙂
        
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tinsenpup on March 6, 2014 at 13:55 said:

I should probably know better, but I can’t help feeling disappointed at the cycles I’ve seen coming back around here too. I remember when my eldest daughter was born, thinking that she would never have to deal with so many of the things I would rather spare her and, of course, now, thirteen years later, here they are again. How sad.

And, of course, your poem is excellent. You do have a gift for writing a thought-provoking piece in a very palatable form. Well done.

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- Bastet on March 7, 2014 at 05:31 said:
  
  know how you feel…yes it’s sad, but that seems the way of the world. Glad you appreciated the poem. Thanks.
  
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Suzanne on March 6, 2014 at 20:28 said:

Powerful, thoughtful poem! I love this line: “the power left the flowers” – so simple and yet so loaded with meaning. Fabulous take on the prompts! 🙂

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- Bastet on March 7, 2014 at 05:35 said:
  
  Thanks Suzanne. The entering line pulled the rest! 🙂
  
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