The once and future…

There were no such things
as “Good old days” –
that is a lie.

What you had were days of ignorance:
rose-colored memories
of nestling in mother’s mammaries
where the pinnacle of happiness
was a quarter toy and an ice cream cone.

What sheltered you were protective parents
who saved their dire discussions
for after you’d gone to bed
and who shouldered their sorrows
to give you smiles and vacations.

The times were no less sinister:
wars were rampantly ruining lives,
money was thimble-thin,
and people were lost and confused –
just as they are now.

But times were just as hopeful
with kind-hearted courtesies
fulfilling people’s hearty hunger
for the needs of their bodies
as well as their spirits.

There were no such things
as “Good old days” –
because they are what we’re building right now.