#poem, «I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times»

I JUST WASN’T MADE FOR THESE TIMES

Ok, I am from another time, actually it sometimes seems like another world…

Another world fashioned with love, peace and acceptance of all without each one forming separate groups of their own, and without attacking each other’s gender. We fought for inclusion, for freedom, for a society where all would fit in, function and they wanted and thrive, not simply exist…

And we knew how to respect, and we knew that rights come with duties and we served our country in war…

We believed in the power of peace. No, man, we fought for peace! But not with violence, we followed the words of King, of Gandhi, and of Jesus, that taught us to resist without resorting to violence, like our oppressors…

Our mantra was «Peace and Love» only…

We smoked our grass and played our songs and danced naked in the moonlight. Yeah, the government said it was against the law but we didn’t believe the government had the power to suppress us or to decide what was good or what was bad because we believed the government should fear us, not us them…

In my times we wanted freedom, for everyone! We didn’t decide what was moral or not, after all, isn’t that a moral question?

In my times we didn’t even think of something so limiting as “political correctness” because, like I said, we believed in FREEDOM! But we did not offend each other. We were all brothers and sisters building the family of man, and our power was Flower Power. Peace man…

Our prophets wrote their words in their songs. Songs we learned and sang. We were taught by Lennon & McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Jim Morrison, Janis, Jimi, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens. We had our Mammas and Pappas, our Sly and the Family Stone, our Beach Boys and travelled in our Led Zeppelin. Man, we was Young Rascals grooving on the Temptations, Four Tops, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye…

Our time was inclusive and respectful of all, we fought for all with our resistance. We didn’t fear the oppressor, although we suffered the slings and arrows of their oppressive justice…

But this new world, brothers and sisters, is ruled by hatred, by money, by those who have no empathy, sympathy or any other human quality and our art, our music, shit, all, has been cleaned up, become Instagram-friendly. It has to be «clean» or it isn’t published, it isn’t included, it is banned, censured, ignored. The moralists and the puritans have resuscitated and taken control…

And the internet, this wonder of the these new times, is controlled man! It isn’t like it was when it started. Try looking for some of the things Big Brother has done what we used to talk about, you’ll never find it. You’ll find an ad for Nikes instead. And can anyone tell me why the internet is different on your mobile than on your portable or desktop?

I guess I wasn’t made for these times. I was made for freedom and though it seems we’ve a lot of it, check it out mates, it ain’t so…

C.2023, Francisco Bravo Cabrera, 25 JUN 2023, Valencia, Spain