Sixties Child
- Stephen Kingsnorth
- May 24
- 1 min read
Do you recall that naked girl,
she fleeing fires of village, Nam,
as napalm flames consumed her all,
for freedom named, the USA?
Or My Lai pillage, slaughter, rape,
by freedom fighters of wild west,
against that domino effect,
of reds agin the stars and stripes?
I see the copters, rising roof,
escape for those, green dollar proofed.
I know that torture, every side,
the table shape, how many sides -
but sixties teens quick to decide,
hypocrisy the vibe of all.
So Woodstock, Hendrix, flower power,
free love as drug, to scape that pall;
establishment had proved its power,
a weak and ineffective shower.
I’m thankful for May ’68,
revolting students, Tower Eiffel,
for all who marched, like I, against,
apartheid, Springbok rugby tour.
It was then good to be alive,
to wear those flowers in our hair,
or plant them, barrel of a gun.
You may ask, what did it achieve?
A stand ’gainst Agent Orange, for
that girl who’s fleeing napalm burn.
I remember that picture very well and the way the counterculture developed in that period. We thought we would change the world with peace and love - Maybe we did for a while but the materialistic pushback in the 80s quickly wiped out that legacy in my view and here we are again with global corporations pulling the strings of self interested politicians in wars across the planet.
There are a few photographs that mark historic moments in time, the man with the carrier bag in Tiananmen square, the falling man from the Twin towers and a young girl fleeing a Napalm Attack. They are images that stay in our minds because they are so powerful. They say a picture paints a thousand words but I think a poem can paint a picture too. You have a painted a picture of a period history worthy of the photograph that inspired it.
Over half a century later, Agent Orange as been directly linked to PD. What a pity.
A fabulous read , for me, a poem conveys, that which everyday speech struggles with, and more efficiently. One aspect of the 'Nam' conflict that makes me ponder, is the conscription and 12 month tour of duty. So lads from the poorer city and rural areas, who had no deferments, could be and often were, plucked from a combat situation, put on an airliner, complete with hostesses and find themselves back home in 24h!!!