Changing Fashions

The piercing of their body parts
In the precocious young
Makes me shudder with revulsion
But I try to hold my tongue.

I remember how my daddy,
When I cut off my long hair,
Was appalled that I had done it;
And I said I didn't care.

I just thought he was old fashioned
Stuck back in another age.
Did he know this was the Forties
And we'd turned another page?

He didn't know why any woman
Wanted to paint up her face.
Wearing lipstick and eye makeup
Was a scandalous disgrace.

Now I see that I'm becoming
More like Daddy every day.
Simply shocked at how the young folks
Put their bodies on display.

I dislike studs in their noses,
In their navels and their brows;
But I smile and keep my quiet.
I know better than to grouse.

I smile, knowing a sweet secret.
The time will come when they will pay;
When their kids become more daring
Than are they, themseves, today.

by Joyce 7/17/05