The Invoice
When bras were white
even after Labor Day
before they were burned
for free love and peace
and falsies were tissue paper
stuffed in A cups
a visible slipped strap
was cause for embarrassment
When cigarettes were glamorous
and your mother’s closet
was an exotic taboo
where you tore open a sanitary napkin
to see what was inside
When Lucy and Desi slept in twin beds
and you hid under a desk during nuclear drills
You played with matches
and picked your favorite Beatle
while your heroes were assassinated
and your brother was drafted
You slathered on baby oil
for the promise of a tan
before napalm babies in Vietnam burned
and 50,000 vets killed themselves
Now we mourn the lost days
when sticks and stones
didn’t break our bones
and fires were for burning fall leaves
Now strangers hang their clothes
in your mother’s closet
and children hide under desks
so they won’t be shot
The American Dream
has brought a rude awakening
Our buy now pay later
bill is due
_______________Colleen Redman / dVerse Poets Pub / Poets and Storytellers United
June 10th, 2022 12:33 am
50,000??? Really? Gosh, I had no idea it was so many. (Yes, I lived through all that too, but in Australia, where – with admittedly a smaller population – it is something under 500. Apart from population size, I don’t know why the difference in the figures.) I think a lot of bills are coming due, there and here.
June 10th, 2022 2:20 am
Such an impactful poem, Colleen: you evoke an era that seems more innocent, yet the signs of what’s to come exist in the nuclear drills and assassinations…
June 10th, 2022 5:31 am
This is such a strong poem… one is horrified by so much happening around the world… a lot of bills are overdue now, it feels like something has to give… you’ve captured the whole mood so well.
June 10th, 2022 7:27 am
The American dream has turned nightmare, from which too often too many can’t wake up. Sigh. Even the bad old days aren’t nearly has horrible as most of the present day.
June 10th, 2022 11:41 am
An ode to the dreams we lost because we were too busy chasing the wrong ones. Very nicely done.
June 10th, 2022 11:48 am
A stark realistic poem , the past and the present , so well written
June 10th, 2022 2:24 pm
Its seems debts keep adding up in the bank of life. The reality of the past and present is chilling.
June 10th, 2022 4:48 pm
You have summed up a slice of life I knew well, and it made me smile… then sobered me up in the last section. Things seem to get worse and worse. So very nicely done, Colleen
June 10th, 2022 8:14 pm
Excellent poem Colleen. The gun situation is terrifying over there…Grim times ! I still have the thing about the slipped bra strap:)
June 10th, 2022 9:43 pm
How sad that things are so terrifying with the gun situation in the US. Now I look at those years with nostalgia. Have a good weekend.
June 10th, 2022 10:23 pm
Yes the bill is due
We’ve not money to pay,
Kids are sacrificed
_ _ _
I liked the Hippie days part of your write. I spent a month in San Francisco back in 1959, a bit later I sat in an advanced math class, Differential Equations, beside a stringy blonde.
She was barefoot and wore raggedy denim cutoffs, and left her yellow dog and bike at the foot of the entrance stairs.
Smart? During class she studied History while we solved Math equations. She made an “A” in the Math, I was happy with my “C”. We talked and studied together but never dated a real date. My heart still goes pitti-pat and my body does in visible quivers when I think of her.
..
June 10th, 2022 10:29 pm
Oh yes, the I drove a 1962 VW Beatle with the cloth fold back top. I’d pick her up on rainy days.
..
June 10th, 2022 10:35 pm
I’d say that bill was way overdue. I’m not sure there’s enough money in the world to clear all our debts.
June 11th, 2022 9:37 am
Such a powerful poem, Colleen. The nostalgia of a not-too-distant past and the cyclical nature of how history repeats itself is so palpable here. I love all the details of stuffing tissues in bras and one’s mother’s closet being an exotic taboo. And then how it increases in darkness from thereon! It feels wrong to say I enjoyed this but I did <3
June 11th, 2022 3:46 pm
This is incredibly strong and potent, Colleen. You depict the terrifying situation so well! Sigh..
June 12th, 2022 8:12 pm
You speak to me and for me, Colleen. I don’t like that we’ve gone from distrusting foreign nations to our next-door neighbors.
June 13th, 2022 1:38 pm
My very favourite form of poetry is protest poetry. It is a large arena I suppose, but here I feel it strongly, and love it so, as we step through recent history, over the last fifty years, in poetry that flows seamlessly. I really liked this very much. You know, I might feel it even more strongly from here in Ukraine: it really resonates, though I know the theme relates specifically to USA. Thank you.
June 15th, 2022 5:17 am
The nuclear drill is a thrill for some, killer for others. Nice image.
June 15th, 2022 8:04 pm
Powerful poem of contrasts, Colleen. Well done!