I listened closely to my mother as she harked back to a time when it was accepted

She said that duty, obligation and good behavior from children was expected

And even though parents were strict, most kids were hardly ever denied

The opportunity to meet friends, take trips to the cinema or just fun and frolic outside

As her recollection continued my mind wandered, traveling well into the future’s scape

I wound back a decade or two and slowly my own ‘Back in my Day’ recall started to take shape

So here goes my ‘back in the day’ narration

Back in my day, I was provided with a good home and a coveted education

By parents of middle class who gave me the necessities and showered me with affection

They made sure in their no nonsense way that everything they

Worked hard to provide was appreciated by me every day

I took nothing for granted, it was a must that I said please and thank you

Because to not would raise my parent’s ire so I made sure with manners that I followed through

I was afforded the same opportunities as anyone else, I was empowered and taught

That disparity was man made, we were born equal but fairness was hard fought

Whilst this was the basis of my fortunate upbringing, the world I knew and understood

Would soon change and prove challenging as I moved from being a child into adulthood

There was the time when innocence was lost by the jarring intrusion of terrorism in New York City

When evil men flew planes into buildings causing death and destruction making us feel empty

The watershed moment of 9/11 was followed by protracted wars and the senseless loss of life

The world became a place of scary reckoning when we plundered the earth’s natural resources – we were in strife

We filled the oceans with plastic and other pollutants such as fishing nets and millions of litres of crude oil

That killed our marine plant life and helpless sea creatures and our stunning planet did spoil

We indiscriminately felled trees, we crowded the skies with planes, we packed our highways with cars

We mined non-renewable coal, saw fracking become widespread, man’s greedy actions left ugly scars

The planet’s temperature rose, scientist’s warnings went unheeded, global warming followed

The polar ice caps melted, the ocean’s levels rose, stunning islands were swallowed,

Powerful, corrupt and sleazy men meted out to unsuspecting women degrading treatment

Women fought back against this shameful behavior and out of this was born the ‘Me Too’ movement.

The seminal ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement followed shortly on the ‘Me Too’ movement’s heels

It was an urgent call to action to us all to recognize and make inroads into removing systemic racism’s destructive wheels

But most of all I remember the emergence of a deadly virus in an obscure place in China named Wuhan

This virus badged COVID-19 wrecked havoc, brought governments to their knees, took countless lives and resulted in many a travel ban

Dear reader, this is where I leave my future recall as it tells you of today’s precarious COVID state

Perhaps I will revisit this ‘Back in my Day’ remembrance a year from now and provide a precise update.

(Photo – courtesy pexels.com)