Retro
Carnaby Street.
Retro.
What a magical word.
It conjures a time past
when the present days
represented the future.
It does strike a chord
with old fogies like me
who wallow in nostalgia.
It is nice to see products
that are made nowadays
in the style of the sixties.
We have seen the comeback
of vinyl and clothes
very similar to the ones
we were able to purchase
in HMV London stores
and boutiques of Carnaby Street
in bygone years.
The Mary Quant fashion
does not look quaint
and there is a demand
to revive old shows
such as Back to the future,
Here’s Lucy or The Saint.
The admiration for old things
might be genuine but
it could also be an illusion
we create to relive our youth;
to be with the beautiful people
and be able to utter once more
‘Peace, man’ and carry placards
that say ‘Make love, not war’
and be everyone’s friend.
And even though the world
tends to be self-destructive
we can dream and pretend
that everything is well.
© Luigi Pagano
Very philosophical poem, Luigi. Nicely done. Sadly I think the bottom line is: nothing changes.
cynical or what? 😉
Exactly so, Guaj; plus ça change etc., etc. 🙂
Luigi, we can certainly dream. Everything recycles, but tech is moving so fast that the cycles are becoming shorter, and we are nostalgic for what was 5 years ago.
That’s true Bhi. In fact, as far as technology is concerned, we will be so up to date that there won’t be any past to be nostalgic about.
Yet people will still remember the good times – forgetting the bad ones – and will hanker to return to a belle epoque.
Thanks for reading and appreciating the poem (free verse for a change). The Sixties were very special for me, Trevor, and remembered with nostalgia. I arrived to this country in 1961, got married in 1966, which must have been a vintage year as England won the football World Cup..
Yes, I lived on the environs of Kensington Church Street and made various sorties around London, including Carnaby Street.
You seem to have had an interesting life. Why don’t you tell of the circumstances that led you to start writing? There is a specific forum created for this.
Best wishes, Luigi.
Very nice. I liked this. I’m with Guaj on this one, Luigi – except I DO think things change. You proposition is one that my wife and I have often discussed. I’ll be blowed (that might bring back a memory 😉 ) if we have an answer, but both agree we’d like to go back to our more younger days – but onlu if we could know what we do now!
Blessings, Allen.
Yes Allen, a lot of things change and not always for the better but fashion is undeniably cyclical, with old trends reappearing constantly in new, innovative ways.
I too would like to go back to my youth but like you with the maturity ( I hesitate to call it wisdom) acquired in later years.
Best regards to you and your wife.
Luigi