Happy Birthday John

[Revolte]

Happy birthday John,
I'm sorry no one remembers
the good things you said
(the offensive but true).
I'm sorry I haven't yet washed
my shirt with your face
with the words imagine underneath,
I'm sorry for both me and you.
Because John, I know one thing,
one thing I hoped wasn't true,
the biggest crack rock of all
is apathy in the human race zoo.
It's not just your birthday
that's been forgot by so many
it's the love, peace and beauty
and most of all it's the truth.
Don't get me wrong, john,
I'm not a fanatic
(despite my Abby Road Zippo)
I just wish more listened to you.
That way perhaps we'd forget
about the powers of violence
and we wouldn't have to react,
instead we could just dance
with hands held,
for me, her, him, them and you.

[Hawkman]

Hi Revolte, good to see you posting again. Whilst I like what the poem has to say, there are two or three places where the expression is a little confused, i.e.

"I'm sorry I haven't yet washed
my shirt with your face"

Which is actually a rather belligerent image :D

"is apathy in the human race zoo."

which might be better as: "is the apathy in the human zoo."

and the ending needs a little work

"with hands held,
for me, her, him, them and you."

something like this might be better,

"holding hands,
for all of us, and you."

Best, H

[Revolte]

"I'm sorry I haven't yet washed
my shirt with your face"



HAHAHAH it was really hard not to bust up laughing when you pointed that out.
I have a John Lennon shirt with just his face as the word Imagine under it.

[tailor STATELY]

Interesting homage piece.

I don't know if it was intentional, but in L17 you made "john" into a diminished entity - and I don't think from your writing that is what you intended (although a device to dig up and use another time... interesting).

I had a friend whose heart was crushed the day John was martyred. While John was a fine musician I didn't see the sense of quasi-deifying him. My loss perhaps.

[Delta40]

Lol. I, who can't stand Lennon knew it was his 70th birthday yet am thankful he has a legendary status and not a pathetic one like the one below:

The lead singer of Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett sang hard hitting political/environmental songs like Beds are Burning. His lyrics incited people to question the system and their own values. Later, he thought he would change the country and went into Politics. People believed this outspoken driven man of meaningful lyrics would turn politics on its head and make changes for the greater good. Since that fateful day, innocent people have died through his poor mismanagment of the Environment Portfolio. His actions are currently under inquiry. Peter Garrett is largely scorned and simply not taken seriously in politics - his music has lost alot of its appeal as we have been tragically reminded of the difference between musical theory and real life action. As far as I know, that may well of been the fate of Lennon had he decided to do more than just coin songs with a peace message.

I like the overt devotion that streams through your poem, Revolte.

[Skia]

Lovely written poem, but Ermm, Who's John Lennon? Eeeeek-- :O

[PrinceMyshkin]

I like the poem as a poem but am even more moved at witnessing any man expressing love for another man.

Apropos Delta's quote I had the pleasure of listening to a BBC "Hardtalk" interview with what's-that-bloke who was with Queen, is now an animal rights activist and the author of a book on physics? Great, good man...

[JuniperWoolf]

Lovely written poem, but Ermm, Who's John Lennon? Eeeeek-- :O

Really?

:(

[hillwalker]

Like the 60's, you had to be there. In those days you either worshiped the man (tick) or loathed him.

And I am unable to think of any current so-called pop-star with the cojones to do what he did, writing about bigotry, opression and inequalities, in a way that these concepts could be embraced by the popular masses ('Imagine' excepted - I hate the song and all it signified when he performed it).

H