cynicism

I don’t know
what happened around the world.
Maybe partly
our bad influence
via hip attitudes.
But here, Vietnam,
counterculture abolition
of corny virtues and topped off
by Watergate - it was a killer.

People have changed,
but maybe for some good.
I wouldn’t want to live in
1950s pop-optimist mandatory
affirmation of corny values,
either. And I love
corny values.

But maybe we needed to be scathed.

I have tremendous hope for the modern era
of making loud outspoken political noises
against all. I hated the fucking politeness
of “no politics or religion” social-occasion
talk bans. The only reason I suffered
those fools is,

I came up that way. I came up with it. It seemed
another stupid-but-accepted, therefore
useless-to-question norm.

If values are falling, so are norms.
I’ll take that trade. Truth works
best in uncluttered light, and human
reason responds powerfully to it
- by growing appropriate values.

Our species
is going to grow so strong. Have heart,
little one. We got this.

You and me got this.