I Want Back My Yesterday

Poet laments loss of values and deterioration of our society

I want back my yesterday where the streets
Were safe and good manners prevailed,
Where food was relatively simple and inexpensive
But deliciously prepared and where weapons of war
Were scarce and where rolling calves, bedtime stories, ring-games
Family gatherings took the place of toy guns and bullets,
And brought neighbourhood kids together,
Where grannies sat rocking peacefully in chairs on porches,
Without the imprisonment of grills and security cameras,
And family friends could whack and discipline
Children outside the himne.
I want back that society!
Where I can drive home from a vibrant concert in the dead of night
Without being driven by fear and unnecessary violence
And children are not hunted down like helpless prey
And wild beastsand slaughtered and buried in shallow graves.
I would like a society where everyone can be truly happy.