Musically Challenged Under 30
by Lylanne Musselman
The future is here and it’s frightening.
When our youth aren’t showing signs
of good communication,
even with 24/7access to every
technological device imaginable
it’s obvious we have problems.
But problems don’t describe
the news I heard today.
It seems some young ones
who are so familiar with Kanye, don’t
have a clue who Paul McCartney is.
Talk about a new generation gap:
when I was young – don’t trust anyone over 30;
when I was young, we didn’t…and now:
I never envisioned a day when anyone under 30
could not, where anyone under 30 would not, know
one of the Fab Four that defined music,
a time when under-30 Baby Boomers were inquisitive
enough to look past Paul, Ringo, John and George,
to Ella, Como, Coltrane, Lady Day, or at least
were aware of who their parents listened to.
How can we just Let It Be? We apparently didn’t
teach our children to teach their children well –
oh well, that musical reference of Crosby, Stills,
and Nash, is probably lost on the Young.
Bio: Lylanne Musselman, a native Hoosier, is an award winning poet, playwright, and artist. Her work has appeared in Pank, Flying Island, The Rusty Nail, So it Goes, Issue 3, among others, and many anthologies. In addition, Musselman has twice been a Pushcart Nominee. Musselman is the author of three chapbooks, including Winged Graffiti (Finishing Line Press, 2011), and she co-authored Company of Women: New and Selected Poems (Chatter House Press, 2013). Presently, she teaches writing at Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, University of Toledo, and online for Ivy Tech Community College.
by Lylanne Musselman
The future is here and it’s frightening.
When our youth aren’t showing signs
of good communication,
even with 24/7access to every
technological device imaginable
it’s obvious we have problems.
But problems don’t describe
the news I heard today.
It seems some young ones
who are so familiar with Kanye, don’t
have a clue who Paul McCartney is.
Talk about a new generation gap:
when I was young – don’t trust anyone over 30;
when I was young, we didn’t…and now:
I never envisioned a day when anyone under 30
could not, where anyone under 30 would not, know
one of the Fab Four that defined music,
a time when under-30 Baby Boomers were inquisitive
enough to look past Paul, Ringo, John and George,
to Ella, Como, Coltrane, Lady Day, or at least
were aware of who their parents listened to.
How can we just Let It Be? We apparently didn’t
teach our children to teach their children well –
oh well, that musical reference of Crosby, Stills,
and Nash, is probably lost on the Young.
Bio: Lylanne Musselman, a native Hoosier, is an award winning poet, playwright, and artist. Her work has appeared in Pank, Flying Island, The Rusty Nail, So it Goes, Issue 3, among others, and many anthologies. In addition, Musselman has twice been a Pushcart Nominee. Musselman is the author of three chapbooks, including Winged Graffiti (Finishing Line Press, 2011), and she co-authored Company of Women: New and Selected Poems (Chatter House Press, 2013). Presently, she teaches writing at Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, University of Toledo, and online for Ivy Tech Community College.