Dear John: December 8, 1980

As you know my previous post, "We're more popular than Jesus" I have John Lennon on my mind. December 8, 1980 John Lennon, a voice of a generation was killed. I remember walking into my kitchen in the morning and hearing the news on the radio. I was a senior in high school and worked at a little independent record store. A few years ago after leaving the corporate world behind I was listening to John Lennon one afternoon and realized that he missed the 80's-- the me generation. The very people he was speaking to sold out. I am not much of a poet, but I was in a mood that day.


"Dear John"

Dear John, Dear John please write us a song
life's much worse now since you've been gone.
Dear John, Dear John please write us a song and
say something special to help us along.

Instant Karma is a thing of the past, now it's "just business"
as we hide behind corporate masks.
Oh we have heroes, they’re featured on dollar bills.
We worship them as we smile and kill our way up the hill.
I guess when we get there we'll think we've arrived,
but I bet we'll discover that the climb was too high.

The war is not over. . . it rages within;
The battle is flesh, the enemy our sin.
And peace, we gave it no chance,
Blind to the vision, possessions & power have us entranced.

There's no brothers or sisters-- it's all about "me."
We hide behind our walls so we won't have to see.
You wanted world change, you spoke of a revolution;
we rejected love, wealth was our solution.

Babies bear pain from mothers' labor,
fathers abandon sons-- left to rob neighbors.
Teachers are parents; strangers kiss our kids bye,
It's hard to imagine. . . even if you try.

And when we've died and are deep in the ground,
bury our greed so love can be found.
I know we can do it if we give it a try. . .
make this place better by opening our heart's eye.

And grief we can leave in the past,
by surrendering to each other we can make love last.
We can find a new direction; we can have a new way
by making love matter, starting today.