THE ANCIENT

aging, protests, peace

Robust chants from outside

draws me to my small window

I am an ancient

large colorful signs

I squint to seek just one word

limp back to my chair

Why do they walk, chant?

young people don't trouble me

aside from shooting

I guess they mean peace

I am told they are harmless

I say let them be

Author's Note

4 stanzas 3 lines each

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

A sweetly written poem. People have never concerned me as much as ideals. An ideal is a difficult thing to kill, whether it is good or evil. It feeds on resistance and martyrdom. Indeed, ideals have made heroes from bloodthirsty murderers and unscrupulous villains from noble and valiant patriots. Ideals do not play favorites. Fascism and socialism are ideals that gave birth to Hitler and Stalin. Ideals are powerful. Alexander the Great was told he was of divine birth and went out to conquer the known world. Young people don't trouble me either but the ideals they have been taught and often represent with such enthusiasm certainly can be disturbing.

[Betty Hermelee]

Great critique! I wanted to stay pretty neutral with this one, so I picked an "ancient" as the character who knows not much about ideals and believes what she's told! Thanks mucho for this!

[barleygirl]

I love the way you use the title idea. Looking at protests from ancient eyes, I do not feel the world is going to hell in a hand-basket like some seem to feel. The thing I most dislike is how some focus on those who act out destructively & inappropriately, as if these bad seeds represent the entire movement. I love that you present the way you see it with an even hand. This is the beauty of being free & so we have to be willing to allow others to express what we sometimes may disagree with (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Betty Hermelee]

Hi Margie...yes I wanted it to feel like this “ancient” only believed what she wanted to believe....and what her neighbors told her
but was too old to take sides! As always , B xo

[Kari Rakitan]

This is a sweet poem. All the protests I have ever been to have been peaceful, and from what I'm hearing, the shooting these days isn't coming from the actual protesters.

It's not all young people. At 30, I'm pretty much the youngest person in a group of friends who are generally in the 60+ age range. Most of us are staying inside during this pandemic time, but at least one of my over-60 friends went out to protest recently. I personally think it's foolish to do that right now, but if I was in his shoes, I might see it as my only option to maintain my sanity. He and other have described protesting as therapeutic. They need to feel like they are doing something to make this world a better place even if that something is very small.

Personally, I don't currently feel the need to go out and protest because writing is my preferred form of activism. However, people without writing skills, such as my husband, don't feel like that sort of thing is an option for them. My husband was really wanting to go to one of the protests until we found out I'm pregnant. Now he's realized that our health takes priority, and he's being a lot more careful.

I did know someone about my age who went to some protests. By did, I mean this person has blocked me. This person said that all cops are bad, no exceptions. I brought up my dead boyfriend, who was a high-ranking federal cop, and . . . well, I got blocked. I'd like to think that older people have a more well-rounded view of the world, but my 60+ year-old friends have been saying that about cops for years. It took me a long time to work up the courage to tell them about my boyfriend, but I haven't heard them make an "all cops" statement since.

[Chris Shaw]

Protesters are normally harmless. The young love to protest, part of growing up. But then there are the others. The extremists who hang on to respectable causes. They are the ones I worry about. Nothing wrong with peaceful protests, let them be. Let them have their say. However, violence, rioting and looting, totally out of bounds. If protests are moving in that direction those involved deserve the law being enforced. That:s where this little poem took me Betty.

Chris