Poem Essay

Our Generation 

by Derek Nichols

Our generation will be known for nothing.

Never will anybody say,

We were the peak of mankind.

That is wrong, the truth is

Our generation was a failure.

Thinking that

We actually succeeded

Is a waste. And we know

Living only for money and power

Is the way to go.

Being loving, respectful, and kind

Is a dumb thing to do.

Forgetting about that time,

Will not be easy, but we will try.

Changing our world for the better

Is something we never did.

Giving up

Was how we handled our problems.

Working hard

Was a joke.

We knew that

People thought we couldn’t come back

That might be true,

Unless we turn things around

(Read from bottom to top now)

               This was supposed to be a comparison of poems that were presented on the course blog but despondently I had to force my hand to produce another work that in my state of mind would be more fitting then to casually compare works of poetry.  This isn’t because I can’t compare poetry it’s just that poetry is meant to be interpreted any way the reader is subjected to, making poetry very ambiguous. Not to be dissected and examined like something outside of the realm of comprehension if otherwise left alone. This is also because of the numerous discussions in the classroom over the state of current events the lie within the confines of our feasible reality. 

               The poem “Our Generation” by an astounding 8^th grader was an eye opener for me, who of late has just sat in agony over the current state of our generation or should I say humanity instead? The reasons being that no one strives for change at all and just accept the way the world is, other than the occasional cry for relief through the media like it’s going to be given to them. However that isn’t completely true with all of humanity there are a “few” that attempt this climb to do something other than society intended but they are usually devoured by the lack of support.  This being said reading the poem the first way, yes our race as a whole will most likely be condemned to fester in the dirt after being pushed down.

               This could be prevented, are so called inevitable fate, if only we take the time to go in reverse so that in the end we can move forward to a spark of imagination of our design. This would be quite feasible if only we take the time to work together as a whole, to fight all the odds that relentlessly fight back against our touch. Humankind is resilient and is presented abundant challenges in this universe but these challenges define us to push headfirst into the abyss. Being thrown back enough times into the dirt we find ourselves to give up that’s why the evident need for reinforcement from others is needed so that we can finally lift up and mark a superior future for humanity. This is what seems apparent from reading the poem in the reverse.