Respect

[ALANM]

Respect
(By Alan McCosker April 2020)

When a pimply faced youth, addresses you as buddy
when the young girl at the checkout, addresses you as mate
when the kid in McDonalds, addresses you as dude
to your white hair and stooped posture they just don’t relate

When your adult children impatiently wait
as you relate in detail your opinion
once you finish your sentence, they refute all you state
it’s a given you don’t know your onions

When climate change is the sub-ject of discussion
the little Gretas look at you their eyes filled with hate
you’ve been held responsible for all the destruction
shows you the lack of esteem that you’re held in old mate

When you see on the tee vee, Old Folks Institutions
see the Silent Generation, treated worse than dogs
now becoming the subject of Royal Commissions
you swear to yourself those are places I’ll dodge

Then you realise at last that you’re over the top
an oxygen thief, object of scorn or sorrow
perhaps t’would be better if your heart would just stop
and release more resources, for those that will follow

When I was a youth my parents and teachers
taught me how to respect and actually like
people in my community, identified as elders
to take notice and learn from them, lessons in life

Not all of the elders, that I met in my teens
were friendly, hard working and truthful
but elders who weren’t, were few and far in between
most elders were honest, astute and quite helpful

But I’m finding as I get older and hope, wiser
most people, some, not much younger than me
see me and my peers as unnecessary advisers
with knowledge that’s not worth a single dried pea

Gen X and Gen Y, the parents of Gen Zed
could be tutoring their children in the art of respect
but they choose not to do so, for reasons not said
my guess is, they also have little respect

Lookin’ back, I was taught where I did my schoolin’
give up your seat on the bus or hold a door open
respect for women and elders was part of our learnin’
to address elders you don’t know, with a Sir or a Madam

Those actions these days rate barely a glance
they breeze by absorbed in their digital screen
the occasional curt nod but never a thanks
past a white haired old fool, they’ve not even seen

We old Baby Boomers are apparently behind
the reason for everything going to hell
we’re criticized for choosing to be born in that time
by Gen X and Gen Y and their offspring as well

The words, ‘Baby Boomers’, now sound like a curse
to describe a generation born of the war
it’s no wonder we’ve hit the road without remorse
to be outcasts with our peers like the Gypsys before

Gen X and gen Y and their offspring Gen Zed
get all bent out of shape that their taxes are spent
to keep Baby Boomers from dropping down dead
the pension they say is not money well spent

If you own your own home, you’re selfish and un-fair
they recommend you locate to institutional life
your home should be given to families on welfare
so they have money to spare for smokes, tattoos and ice

The current generations have simply no interest
in their elders life knowledge or opinions it seems
relating your past, sees them yawn with disinterest
and return their attention to their digital screens

When I was a lad I always paid great attention
to the stories my uncles and aunts would relate
of how they went through, a world war and depression
and tales from my parents, ‘bout the trials they did face

I learned from my elders what’s right and what’s wrong
and do only to others what you’d expect for yourself
to work hard and respect, those no longer young
and not begrudge pensions, for those who need help

We didn’t have Google to milk for our knowledge
we relied on our elders to pass it on down
and in so doing, that conversation was cherised
no tapping on screens to send SMS ‘cross the room

I’ve not met a Gen X or Gen Y or Gen Zed
who would admit to not knowing about any or all things
they’ve seen it on Google and have it firm in their head
our uneducated opinion is not worth even two pins

The final solution, for those who’ve hit use by
those who get in the way and hold progress up
is to see Logans Run become reality tee vee
with everyone over fifty, required to turn their toes up

So we’ll spend our kids ‘heritance, out there on the road
but so they don’t worry, ‘bout who pays when we fold
we’ll mind the ads on the tee vee, where we’re regularly told
to make sure we’ve forward paid for our final abode
then we’ll swan ‘round the country in our caravans and campers
and spend our kids ‘heritance, on good times and shampers
and like Logan we’ll stay on the run ‘till we fold
didn’t realise it’s such fun, to be invisible and old.

[Shelley Hansen]

Goodness Alan, I'd quite forgotten Logan's Run - such a cult classic back in the day!

Yep, I have to agree that these days respect is about as plentiful as toilet paper!!!

[r.magnay]

...sad old state of affairs I reckon, everyone seems to be looking for someone to blame these days, nobody seems to want to just get in and fix things anymore...