Then And Now

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For purposes of this poem, “Now” is 2015 and “Then” is 1955.
The changes that occurred during 60 of the years I’ve been alive
Are so great that it is so very hard for anyone to really believe,
The wonders that our technology have been able to achieve.

 

 

 

 

Then And Now

Then we had small 14 inch tube type TVs in black and white
With I Love Lucy and Honeymooners we watched snowy bright.
Now we have 120 inch flatscreen color HD and 3D TVs at home,
With the choice of virtually any movie or TV show ever known.

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Much progress has been made in this area as can be seen comparing the new 120 inch flatscreen high definition color TV with the old 14 inch tube type TV with the snowy black and white picture.

 

 

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Then our music came from KOMA in Oklahoma City on the radio,
Or from Wolfman Jack on the late night radio show from Del Rio.
Now our music comes from satellites or wirelessly on devices,
Like iPhone or iPad with Spotify or iTunes with all songs as choices.

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That’s Wolfman Jack on top coming out of Del Rio. In the middle is Station KOMA out of Oklahoma City with the top 40. On the bottom is a cell phone with Spotify music playing for you anytime and anywhere you go.

 

 

 

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Then our cars were cool 8 cylinder gas guzzling muscle cars,
Like Ford and Chevrolet hard tops with hubcap flipper stars.
Now most of us drive four cylinder fuel efficient CRVs for travel,
That suit our purposes very well on the pavement or on gravel.

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There’s the super cool 1955 Ford Crown Victoria hardtop V8 with a continental kit versus the 2015 4 cylinder Ford Escape compact RV. For us old people the Escape is a much better choice, but I would still like to cruise around in that Crown Victoria.

 

 

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Then we had kites, yo-yos, and pocket knives to entertain us well,
We also made whistles, rubber guns, and spool tractors so swell.
Now there are interactive video games that keep the kids attention,
They get right into the video with special action move retention.

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Let’s face it, the old stuff on the top sucks when compared to the interactive video games of today.

 

 

 

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Then country music was great from the original singing stars.
Williams, Tubb, Jones, and Wills made the best country by far.
Now most of the country music sounds like rock from the 1980s,
I think they need to rename it Rock Country for all the ladies.

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The old Honky Tonk Country from 1955 beats the new country rock hands down. No contest.

 

 

 

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Then the air travel was mostly propeller driven aircraft planes.
With a passenger capacity of up to 92 seats that were very plain.
Now the air travel planes are driven by the turbo jet engine,
With a capacity of up to 420 passengers with great seats to sit in.

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The Douglas DC-6 propeller driven aircraft From 1955 has been replaced with jet engine driven  planes like the Douglas MD-12 with over four times the passenger capacity.

 

 

 

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Then we had erector sets to make metal structural things of steel,
And thought our bridges and oil derricks were just almost real.
Now they have Legos blocks for nearly everything out there.
The detail in the finished products amazes me and makes me stare.

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I built stuff like the one one on the left in 1955, my grandsons get to build Legos like the one on the right.

 

 

 

 

Then we got a hamburger, French fries and a coke for 35 cents,
Made from with fresh meat and potatoes with portions so immense.
Now we get frozen fast food hamburgers, fries, and coke for 8 bucks,
With so many preservatives in them we may get sick and upchuck.

 

I’ll take the 35 cent burger and fries from 1955 anytime over the present day fast food burger and fries

 

 

 

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Then service stations had people to fill your car with gas for you.
They washed your windows, and checked your oil and tires too.
Now there’s a computer with a visual display that talks to you,
As you do all the work yourself including paying it when your through.

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I’ll take the real service station from 1955 anytime over the present day do it yourself computers.

 

 

 

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Of the above, I think three verses show things were better then.
Service stations, hamburgers & fries and country music win.
Six of the verses show that we are indeed making some progress,
However, the then cars make it a closer race to fairly assess.

 

 

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By Bill

 

 

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Thanks for reading Then And Now,
Bill