Melody into Twilight

My love song to the 60s and its turbulent times which now reveal how prescient a decade it truly was. It is my hope this and future generations do not forget its art and music that aspired us.

Melody into Twilight

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

The American dream is gone

Drifting away like an old 60's song

Like a Rockwell painting 

Reminisced and fading 

Our minds ambivalent 

With hearts recalcitrant 

"Paint it black"

Into "The sound of silence" 

"I heard it through the grapevine"

That we believed...in a dream 

As we looked towards "Yesterday"

"Take another little piece of my heart now, baby"

But "the times they are a changing"

As we stare "All along the watchtower" 

"Dazed and confused" 

In our "house of the rising sun"

With our innocence long since gone

Enraging in our engaging 

A false sense of revelry 

In self righteous indignation 

This broken nation, in catastrophe 

Despite our contempt 

Of "My generation"

Our lost virtues in condemnation 

While singing "feeling good"

As we pass by "strange fruit" 

hanging from a tree with rotted root.

You can have your precious "Nights in white satin"

Encourage false hope and adored lovers passion

But "A whiter shade of pale" 

will always prevail..

from the lies we tell ourselves.

But there is a sweeter sound that's coming

Profound this sound I'm humming.

"Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin time..."

 

Author's Note

Thank you for taking the time to read this poem. This was probably one of my more ambitious writings because it touches on a few themes. But it can probably also be a bit ambiguous. Though many of the songs reflect the era they came from I hope those of a newer generation takes the time to listen to these truly classical songs. Feel free to leave any thoughts or comments I truly appreciate your time taken in reading this work.

Reviews

[Soren]

This poem reminded me of Bob Dylan's "A murder most foul" and my feeble attempt "To beat the band (An ode to Lewis Carrol" it's theme of nostalgia for a time when we thought we were great and happy days to today when we have partaken of the forbidden fruit and see the rot and demise of our dreams. A wonderful write.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you so much Soren for your thoughts on this piece. Music really has a way of shaping a person's heart. Am I surprised? Not really because it's simply poetry to melody. There is a melancholy to the 60's. I wish we could have learned the lessons of that time, instead of repeating them. CLE

[Stella Armour]

i don't have to look up these wonderful songs they are etched into my lifeline .
The swinging sixties in England was magical too , it was a great time to be young...

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I feel the revolution in the 60's began from the valuable gift England gave to the world at that time. The music of the Beatles who changed the face of music forever which still resonates to this day. Their songs captured a generation for all time and quite honestly changed the world. Thank you Stella for your kind thoughts on this poem.

[shadrach hah]

Hi Carlos, I was taken back in memory by the songs you picked for this write. The years go by and yet we never learn from our past. This is creative genius at its best. Sometimes I think things are worse than back then. I love the uplifting tone at the end of your work. I just love the full content of this piece, from first word to last. Have a wonderful Saturday. Hugs....Mike.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Mike sincerely I appreciate the kind words. I was moved by many of the songs I used to compose this piece. There were some songs I wanted to use but left out. Name the song "The End" by the Doors, which I removed to give the poem a more concise tight message. That era in time really holds relevance to the moment we currently live in. I hope we can learn from the lessons the 60's taught us and be better people to one another. Thank you so much again my friend.

[shadrach hah]

You are welcome Carlos. Have a wonderful Wednesday....Mike.

[Ted Kniffen]

Great songs all. A wonderful time as well ... perhaps because we were young and everything seemed so new ... all the experiences ... good and bad, and there were enough of both.

Your poem brought back a lot of memories Carlos. The rhyme scheme worked well.
Now, I'll go back to "looking out my backdoor."

Peace V ... my friend.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Ah, CCR another great band from the past. Thank you Ted for the nice comment on this poem. There were so many wonderful songs I could have used in many variations but I tried to keep it concise and to the point. It was fun to listen to these songs over again. I prefer music from that era more than today's sound. There is just more life and emotion from those old songs that can't be captured in today's music unfortunately. Thank you again my friend for your comment.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! This was so creative and unique. I felt walking into a gallery of artistic songs if there such a things. Many things bind us together like language, history, humanity, music, culture and so forth. Some change with times, others stay timeless. We regret how good we had it then and we long to those good ole days. Part of our common humanity and experiences, I guess.
Your poem reflects all of that in a marvelous way.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Sami I truly appreciate the kind comment on this poem. No decade reflects more the problems we are suffering through than that of the 60's who dealt with many of the issues we are currently dealing with here in the US. We just can't seem to resolve these issues as a nation. Unfortunately it's debatable if we ever will. Thank you again my friend.

[Sami Khalil]

So true and well said. You are so welcome.

[JE Falcon]

Many thoughts and songs you are remember flow through this poem, leading us to yesterday, but also warning of tomorrow's problems.--- It flows very well and comes across heart felt. --- I liked it.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you JE for your comment. So many wonderful song from that era to choose from. This piece could have easily been several pages longer but I preferred a short concise write. I chose music from the 60's because that time echoes much of the strife our current times find us in. We just can't seem to learn from the mistakes of our past. Thank you again for your thoughts.

[lightsong]

Unfortunately it's not only music that changed but EVERYTHING! but since music is the most important influence of all times and generations, one will know when there is no good music there is no good life or generation...

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

So very true a statement. Art is so very influential to a society. I would say it is vital for its existence. How are we to strive toward our better angels without art showing us the way? Without it aspiring our hearts toward greater humanity. Thank you lightsong for your kind thoughts I truly appreciate it.

[Lydia Shutter]

"But there is a sweeter sound that's coming
Profound this sound I'm humming."

Such an uplifting ending to a poem that brought me back to my high school and college days. The music was great. No wonder my grandchildren like it too. Very creative write, Carlos. I liked it. Lydi**

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you so much Lydi for your sweet comment on this poem. Music of the 60's is timeless. It spoke of a turbulent time in history and even now calls out to us. I came very close to adding the Doors song "The End" for the final stanza but felt the Otis Redding classic had it right as a summation to the piece. I'm so very happy many took a liking to this poem. It's one of my favorite writes because of my love for the music of that era. Thank you kindly for your comment.

[Ama]

As a youngster living in the busy world I find myself vibe along to Arts of the history more often. Maybe I am a old soul trapped in a young girls body as my friend say. It is truly wonderful how you have given life to old songs in the poem.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Ama I truly appreciate it. The time is yours to seize and your generation to shape. Unfortunately my generation has failed to leave you a better world. It will be up to poets and writers in your era to inspire this design new age and give them hope. The 60's were a time of major upheaval where the youth rebelled against the old ways of segregation, war, and gender equity. They demanded a revolution not based on hate but a change for peace. The music and poetry of that age changed not only a nation but a world. Time and time again the young have proven to be much wiser than their elders when it comes to making the right choice for a better future. But it takes powerful art and a loud voice to do it. One that is uncompromising to its values and beliefs in a greater unified society. You and your generation need to be the change you want in the world. Be better than us from the past who have forgotten what peace and hope truly mean.

[Ama]

Thank you for the inspiring words. I believe there are so many good people in this world, which is why we still have a hope of a better future, even though it was a hope since my parents and grandparents eras and even before. I feel like it is a hope passed down from generation to generation. As an individual I do my best to receive as well as return the peace, love and respect. I believe if all of us individuals treated the people the same way they want to be treated, it won’t be hard to make a change and the day won’t be far away to reach a peaceful world. Have a wonderful day

[Betty Hermelee]

The American Dream is surely drifting away….and I love the way you intertwined old songs as you wrote. Yes, the 60’s has its problems…but now we really suffer from lies, false pretenses, deceit a d more….all we have now is hope, hope that we will always have our freedom, our democracy, the will to survive, the will to love……”Sittin on the Dock of the Bay”….
Best
B.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you B for your thoughts on this piece. This generation is in need of a peaceful revolution just like as in the 60's. They need their own Beatles and Rolling Stones, as well as their own beat poets. They have to remember the things their parents have forgotten. They have fallen for so many lies because everything around them is fake. They have been fed lie after lie, and when that is all you consume it becomes all that you believe. The 60's were a turbulent time but it preached an aspirational idea of peace. An idea we have long forgotten. Our greatness lies in our acceptance. We are greater together than apart. Unity is not a word but is America. That ideology is in the ghost of those old 60's songs. Where civil rights were won both for people of color and women. And where peace really meant something. When we find that place again I'll be there...sittin on the dock of the bay.

[Betty Hermelee]

Yes we got a lot accomplished in the 60's with civil rights... everything is fake now, without true meaning.. but we must have some hope....that maybe things will change for the better....B