Happy Daze Poem by Glen Kappy

Happy Daze

Rating: 5.0


Is there a difference
between contentment and complacency?
Ignorance and innocence?

For me as well
the 50s gleam nostalgic—
as for a man who stands apart
from his suburban driveway
where his car just washed and waxed
is the focus of his admiration.

Then our would-be competition
in Europe and Japan
was wounded and limping
from that second war
and exports rushed from here
the paragon of modern.

Then our factories thrummed
and clouds that rose
from smokestacks
signalled progress and prosperity
and combine dust
our monoculture's triumph.

We were happier then
some studies show—
even as the smoke was choking us
even as the poison from our farms
was killing us and birds—
to which we were oblivious.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Topic(s) of this poem: america,american history,economy,farm,ignorance,innocence,poison,progress,world war ii
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Chinedu Dike 18 January 2017

A well articulated poetic nicely penned with insight. ' For every action there's a reaction.' Thanks for sharing.

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Glen Kappy 19 January 2017

chinedu, thank you for reading the poem and for your affirmation. limited and finite as we are, we humans so often tend to act in the short-term not anticipating consequences for the future. again, thank you. -glen kappy

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Laurie Van Der Hart 17 January 2017

I finally got to this one... Very novel approach. I love your opening questions. Great scan through the history of progress. And the level of happiness. I recently watched a video of Jaroslav Hutka's song 'Namest', just before the Velvet Revolution n Czechoslovakia, i.e. Communist era. And looking at the people in the audience, I thought that they had something that has since been lost. Innocence? Sincerity? Simplicity of life? (See my poem What could be better?) . By the way,1948 was a year full of earthshaking events, including the birth of Glen Kappy!

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Glen Kappy 17 January 2017

laurie, thanks for reading this poem and for your comments. in just a mo i'll read your what could be better. all the best to you! -glen

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Susan Williams 14 January 2017

You are indeed the voice of that generation sounding out a warning to the future generations that we may not see the hidden injuries that spell our doom so many years later. The fifties were not free of the sins of greed and blindness but they did have great iconic cars and doo-lop music and history's glaze of innocence. Well written, Glen. A ten that should be a million times a ten.

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Glen Kappy 14 January 2017

thank you, susan. good to hear from you... on the 50s, one thing i can think of that was better- income was more fairly distributed- the minimum wage was closer to a living wage and the rich had to pay a fairer share of income tax... in general we humans tend to be short-sighted, yes? be well! -glen

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Glen Kappy

Glen Kappy

New York, NY USA
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