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Seven Squared Plus Seven: An Update
by Bruce W Niedt72 +7 (An Update)
Seven was
Chuck Berry, I Love Lucy.
Sputnik in space
and me, a big brother
to three little girls.
Fourteen was
The Beatles, Gilligan,
civil rights and Vietnam,
and me, gawky kid
adjusting to high school.
Twenty-one was
progressive rock, All in the Family,
first rumbles of Watergate,
and me, navigating college
and having a legal drink.
Twenty-eight was
disco, Three’s Company,
Ayatollah Khomeini,
and me, husband, father,
civil servant.
Thirty-five was
breakdancing, Miami Vice,
Challenger and Chernobyl,
and me, raising three boys
and money for the mortgage.
Forty-two was
gangsta rap, The Simpsons,
NAFTA and Waco,
and me, looking at midlife
and college for kids.
Forty-nine was
hardcore, Celebrity Death Match,
internet trading,
and me, feeling slightly out of touch,
a perfect square.
Fifty-six is
the Iraq War, American Idol,
Bluetooth and blogs,
and me, now the father of four,
looking longingly at retirement.
04/27/2007 Author's Note: [Updated version of my original poem written when I turned 49. Now it's seven years later - happy birthday to me!]
Posted on 04/27/2007
Copyright © 2026 Bruce W Niedt
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Michelle Angelini on 04/28/07 at 02:30 AM Outstanding Bruce. Yeah, I can relate to those things, too. I can't believe, well maybe I can, that I'll be 2 years closer to 60 on my next birthday. Yeah, well it beats the alternative. Thanks for a walk down memory lane. ;-) And...Happy Birthday!
~Chelle~ |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 04/28/07 at 04:12 AM That's really badass, man. Very interesting. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 04/28/07 at 02:38 PM I love the elements you've referred to in each age, and how they've changed. Boy, can I relate! I also got a kick out of your "perfect square" when you turned 49. |
| Posted by Sarah Graves on 04/29/07 at 01:26 AM Just wow Bruce, what an original idea. You go through your life with such honesty. I like the pop culture references mixed in with the historical ones. A poem of movement, and exciting observations. You seem to understand your world very well, from the superficial to the critical. Great read, I'm adding this to my favorites :) |
| Posted by Laura Doom on 04/29/07 at 10:19 PM Interesting progression - I'd like to see how each of the above periods is characterised through the eyes of a constant seven... |
| Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 04/29/07 at 10:23 PM Like you've opened your time-capsule early. Great read. Thanks. |
| Posted by Genevieve Sturrock on 04/29/07 at 11:17 PM Apr 27 is my Dad's birthday too...62 for him. Great poem. Made me think back on my own series of 7's....hmmmm. |
| Posted by Paul Lastovica on 07/03/07 at 07:31 PM i join in the memories from thirty-five onward =) |
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