Refrain
Hearing a tune from my youth,
My body slips imperceptibly into its rhythm.
I warm, smile, nod my head, sing along
Before I realize…
I never believed in what it stands for.
And so I struggle
To reframe nostalgia in significance,
refrain from the familiar refrain,
Join a brighter chorus
Seeking a theme with sweeter strains.
2 thoughts on "Refrain"
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As a DJ and a poet (but far before I was a DJ), I had problems loving many of the songs my friends did, for this reason. I couldn’t get past the lyrics, even if it was catchy. All the more now, as an oldie myself–have been right where this poem is. Felt, Alvera! Really like “to reframe nostalgia in significance”
Yes, and it has another layer of meaning too beyond literal songs. I’m also thinking about how easily we can get overly comfortable & unquestioning with the words and symbols we grew up with & see them as innocuous when they’re not. For example, I was about 10 when I realized the n-word was hurtful because I used it playfully with a black friend & saw his face fall instantly. Never dawned on me it might be ugly (vs. maybe a little naughty) as it was used regularly in my home. That pull to the familiar “tune” from childhood h
elps me understand things like folks clinging to the Confederacy and racism, though I don’t understand denying the pain it causes when it’s marching and crying for mercy in the streets.