Product of the 90's

 

Product of the 90’s

 

 

I’m a product of the 90’s

A child that grew up with the MTV Grind beat

 

When livin’ on the streets

In the phoenix heat off other people’s generosity

Standin' at the mic exposing my heart through poetry

 

Was the last thought of where I’d end up to be

 

I remember how it was when I was a kid

 

I was able to finish the words of a prince that went like this

“Iiiiiiiiiinnn west Philadelphia born and raised….”

Man I’ll never forget praising that phrase while trying to spit it

When the Fresh Prince was the sick hit

 

Back when Saturday morning cartoons

Was the highlight of my week

With Nickelodeon’s controversy of Ren and Stimpy,

Rocko’s Modern Life,

WGN’s Pinky and the Brain,

We can’t forget about The Gargoyles

Also that Captain Planet was a hero

Even though he still is but before we left him for dead with his TV. show

 

We were able to catch the originals

With Rugrats, Power Rangers and The Ninja Turtles

 

Or how about going to school

With my WWF, cooler than hell lunch box pale

And couldn’t have been more excited when the teacher yelled

 

"Alright kids, its time to go to the computer lab, and play Oregon trail...”

 

 OH NO SHE DIDN’T...

Did she say Oregon Trail?

 

Watch out lady, we’d topple the teacher over as she fell,

As we played all day until we heard the school bell ring

Ding ding

All the children sing it’s time to go home

We gotta catch the new episodes of Ghostwriter and Wishbone

 

I loved that lil' dog...

 

Next, the day’s activities were planned out

With cops and robbers

Hide n go seek until our limbs went numb

And jumpin’ on one of those dangerous trampolines

 

We loved playing our Sega Genesis,

Brand new Nintendo,

Dreaming about winning money off of America’s Funniest Home Videos,

Getting lost in the scavenger hunt of Where’s Waldo,

Or how about the excitement of Lunchables newest easy creation

of making ourselves pizzas and tacos

 

Which we could pound

Before playing on the merry go-rounds at the playground

 

When Gak

Was the coolest stuff ever invented!

We never pretended

That Lamb Chops song….

Well it never ended

 

Back to the times when there was no internet

But if you had a computer

Windows 95 was the best

Before mps3 player I-pods

We listened to walkmans

Played or collected Pogs and YIKES pencils and erasers

Were still hot especially if you bought them with a Ring Pop on your finger

 

Most of all this was when children used to obey their parents

 

Disciplining kids

The controlled care of the sergeant was apparent

 

These times were still every child’s dream

A world of when children were entertained and education was taken seriously 

 

Now

Our days are planned out with grief

On a list that causes disbelief

Making us feel there will never be any form of relief

 

Children don’t get to be kids anymore,

They have to grow up quick

Take care of themselves when they’re sick

And work harder to get themselves out the ditch their parents put them in

 

Having sex

By the time that their twelve

Birthing a child by 13, It makes me want to scream!

A child for a parent never aged well

It only causes trauma for a baby born into hell

 

We are leaving only 10 years between generations

No time for revelations

Because they were never taught the importance of resisting temptations

 

It’s

Morals,

Ethics,

Family Values,

Principles,

Consideration and Respect

 

Taught as the truth

Instilled in our youth

Then, maybe they might not grow up to be so god damn disrespectfully crude

 

It’s got to stop somewhere

It’s got to start with our peers

 

Spread the message that our children are growing up unprepared

Livin’ a life scared and in despair

Letting everybody hear with positive ambition

This could be the year

That our society actually showed that they care

 

Unless of course

They don’t

 

And if that be the case

Then

God help us all

Reviews

[Bethany Woody]

Well hell, I was all physched that I could recall all the tv shows and games you talked about and then you just blast it all there at the end. I'm a product of the 90's just like you and I'm proud of it. I got to be a kid when it was cool to be a kid. This piece brought back such fond memories. Sigh, it's sad those times are gone. Now that I'm a mother I have to be so vigilant in my care and safety of my kids that it hurts. They don't get to be kids like we were kids. Everything seems to have spiraled out of control in the last ten-fifteen years. And it's true that society needs to step back and open their eys; take a long look around at reality. Something has got to change and quickly or there will no longer be childhood memories of playing blind-man's bluff in the woods at night or camp outs in the back yard. We will be too scared to let our children out of our sight for anything, school, church, doctors appts.

I love the piece, despite the bomb shell at the end. I agree with everything you said and I'm willing to stand and shout it with you from the highest hill around. Someone has to be the voice of reason, thats the easy part. The challenge lies in getting an ignorant society to pay attention to what you say, but the more who say it the more likely it will be heared, listened to, and understood.

Benjamine Franklin once said, "Well done is better then well said."

Make the people listen Lalli.

[Rain]

I loved this piece. I am from a generation long before this, but I still see a sameness. In the end, no-one will come to save you. You learn to never depend on someone else to save you. This was so interesting to read. Great write. Rain..

[Wildfleour]

I really enjoyed this a lot. It made me think about growing up in the 70's.....and all I have seen, heard and said (smile) during this time! :)

Wow! I think this is very good! Then I got to the middle and it really made me think. You are so right about 13 year olds having babies! Great poem!

[Brette Medb]

I loved this! The beginning made me smile, we definitely got the best cartoons on Saturday mornings and Oregon Trail was by far the best game ever. There's such a difference between ages these days even if it's as little as 5 years apart. My little brother does and talks about stuff at 13 that I never did and it worries me when I see 12 year olds walking down the street smoking a cigarette and talking about sex. I loved this poem, it was by the end a kick in the gut about truth. The 90s kids really had it made, I'm just glad that I got all this stuff unlike my little brothers. Great write,


Brette

[Brett Campaigne]

this would be good on evoca.