Times have changed

At one time, where we lived,

morning commuters stood on 

long wooden platforms,

patiently waiting and watching for

a dark blue train with wicker seats.

The light posts

that rose above the shoulders

of the metal railing

were a smudgy light green color

that looked like shower heads.

Earlier models resembled hooks.

When the train finally rolled up

and people took their seats,

that's when the cacophonous sound of

unfolding newspapers filled the car. 

But that's in the past.

I'm a ghost now

who sees a different world.

The days when men wore suits

and donned hats are long gone.

People were friendly and respectful.

They mentioned their children's birthdays

talked politics, or sat quietly

reading the sports section.

These days, the devil is loose.

Metal platform railings hold graffitti.

Newspapers are replaced by gadgets,

and the amount of mentally ill people

roaming around from time to time 

is starting to increase.

Call me old-fashioned,

but those old trains

and wooden platforms...

I liked them a lot better.

Reviews

[Dave Brown]

how true
those scenes of yesteryear have given way to (here) the Skytrain with crazy's being a fairly common part of the package and no quaint lampposts
I'm always surprised when watching old films, how people used to answer their dial phones and not be overwhelmed by scams artists trying to get into your bank account

[Relic]

Those simpler times were better than we thought. Thanks for the comment, Dave.

[Robert Trakofler]

I wear a fedora and a sports jacket every day as a bow to those times and manners:) In fact, I couldn't agree with you more! I know that back then things weren't perfect racism and women's rights were atrocious but at the same time they got certain things right the care with which they conducted things the reverence they had for the simplest pleasures like going to a ball game in full regalia it was not just a game it was an event nobody thinks of things this way anymore:( great poem!

[Relic]

Thanks very much for your kind review, Robert. I agree :)

[John the Baptist]

There is indeed much about our current epoch that makes the past look attractive. But time never stops moving and this rough stretch will be consigned to history, too. I doubt that anyone will wax nostalgic about it, but you win some and you lose some.

[Relic]

Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment, John. :)

[Chris Shaw]

I love the nostalgia this write brought to me. I was an avid trainspotter in my much younger days, accompanied by my brother who was a year younger. We would stand on Roughdown bridge with our log books and get lost in a cloud of steam, as Lord Kitchener or the Royal Scots Grey would whistle through. How I would love to do that again, especially with my dearly departed brother. So enjoyed this poem Tim.

Chris

[Relic]

Thanks for your great comment, Chris. I'm happy it brought back good memories for you. :)

[Gee]

I think all things from our younger years, before adulthood and all of the associated pressure came to bear, invoke feelings of nostalgia and a wishing that once again our lives were more simple.
Enjoyed reading thiscRelic.
Hope you are keeping well

[Relic]

Thank you, Gee. :)

[Kelly Scheppers]

They call it progression, but it sure is depressing, isn't it? A time it was - and what a time it was!

[Relic]

Thank you for your comment and the visit, Kelly.

[JE Falcon]

Older things always look brighter through the eyes of the older. --- This was a very relatable poem with heart, loved it. Thanks.

[Relic]

Thanks very much for the comment, JE.

[Fran Marie]

ye s and we can never
retrieve those old days
when everyone just a tad
nicer ..so true the devil is
loose on this earth. spreading
evIl and darkness everywhere

[Relic]

Thanks for your thoughts, Fran.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Everything was better back then...rotary phones...getting actual written letters from people...
not sure that progress is always something love.

[Relic]

Me either. Thanks J. :)

[Cherrie Palmer]

The memory and feeling that set beside. They seem lost forever.

[Relic]

They do Cherrie. Thanks for your thoughts. :)