To The Daddy Generation

To The Daddy Generation


Honoring Vice Pres Mondale,
with Pres. Carter to speak.
Mondale is my mom's age,
Carter, my dad's.

My uncle and aunt
are 88 or so.
My dad will be 90.

I look at the good wrinkles
soft white hair
bald or balding heads
their well-intentioned
liver marked
poll watching hands

and think how hard they fought
for that abstract, equality,
in World War 2
and after,

or thought they did

only to face the trashing
of hopes
in the 2010's
as the guns ran wild

and the cold and hot anger
from uncivil  way right
states
congealed all around
the remnants
of middle class
moderate reason

Once upon a time
the Dads worked hard
;and thought it would be enough

It wasn't


.