Poem: Growing up (revised 9/15)

By Jack Brummet
[illustration  "eight stages of life" via http://thenakedconvos.com/]

The 1950s were about

Giving ourselves The American Jitters:

The Day The Earth Stood Still, Huntley-Brinkley, The Thing,

Ed Murrow, The Blob, Fidel, Godzilla, Senator Joe McCarthy, Gorgo.

Wild-eyed Nikita pounded his loafers on TV.
He promised to bury us.

The Cold War ignited on Ike's watch
As alarms shrieked duck and cover.

Dad was in the basement
Sandbagging the jam closet

And caching the beans

And gasoline.

We spooked ourselves for good
And grew up to fear nothing but nothing itself.

                              ---o0o---