Those More Innocent Days

By Ida J. Lewenstein

Remember Rip Van Winkle
That amiable chap
Who woke up one day
After a twenty year nap
And found himself TRAPPED
In a cultural gap.

He was often surprised
And also distressed
By the way people acted
And the way people dressed.

Well, sometimes I feel
The same as he.
I look in wonderment
At the strange things I see.

I walk down the street
And what do you suppose?
There's a girl walking toward me
With a ring in her nose.
There's a boy with blue hair
Wearing pants that hang low.
I ask,"Is this for real or
Just for show?"

I see a kid in a car
With the music blaring.
He's bobbing and weaving
Not looking--Not caring.

It is then I look back
On those more innocent days,
When dirty saddle shoes
Were all the craze.

Girls in loose-fitting sweaters
And colorful plaid skirts
Boys sporting well-fitting cords
And checked shirts.

No one I knew wore a ring in her nose.
No one would be seen with his bottom exposed.
Rarely did one drive with the music blaring
To be sure--we had our fun
But we weren't THAT DARING!!

If you still doubt
There's a cultural gap
Remember---We L--O--V--E--D SINATRA
THESE KIDS love--
No, these kids D--I--G RAP!