American Century

 

“In the Crowd” by Paulette Van Roekens

 

 

my parents lived the American Century
no time since the Renaissance so rich
with change full of progress and perils
America’s role in a cold unpredictable
world teemed with triumph and tragedy
stretched to the limits of human experience
far and beyond what their minds could imagine
they watched the repeated remaking
of all that composes the human condition
its gorgeous new virtuous waves of nobility
cresting a tidal implausible sequence with
grotesque new depths of an utter depravity
rising and troughing then rising and troughing
each phase reaching ever historical levels
agog and bewildered they nonetheless witnessed
the shadow of Wright Model B muslin wings
and the star-blink of Space Station Alpha
pushed and pulled they endured sounds
of battlefield agonies raised to the skies
above forests of green Argonne trees and bleak
alleyways twisting with intrigues of Kandahar
eager participants they fast became part of a
cultural prominence justly well storied and gloried
but not one to last and I thank divine time
that its wretched demise missed their eyes for they
so loved this home of their children the country
who nurtured the immigrant dreams that
sustained their proud peasant Italian-born hearts

 

(originally posted January 2014)