The Marbled Sigh

I Am a Child of Rubik’s Cube

I am a child of Rubik’s cube,
Training fingers for the coming wave of texting.
A child of the Tehran hostages
Of the worry, the fear, the new terrorism
Yet to show its true colors, true power.
I watched St Helens erupt,
A man videotape his terror in the dark,
Harry Truman die upon his love.
I am a child of the first news channels –
Who knew they would manipulate the masses?
Richard Prior set himself afire and survived.
J.R. died and was born again.
I worked at a dry cleaner when 9 to 5 
Proved boobs more stimulating than pecs.
John Lennon died and I could not understand.
I am a child of the ‘what the fuck’ era.
‘Why the fuck did you do that’ –
‘What the fuck were you thinking’ –
And ‘fuck me’.
The President saw a thousand points of light
And began blowing out each one.
Lady Diana and Prince Charles married
In the biggest sham of love ever filmed.
In vitro babies made their debut, and I could see no difference
Despite the calls to Jesus.
Abortion was a sin, and people were sinning to stop it.
Women harassed and lifted over barricades pregnant.
MASH ended and Reagan’s Star Wars began.
Michael Jackson was innocent and a Thriller,
Cosby was a hero and Madonna was a Virgin.
And We Are the World tried to change it,
But it was too deranged yet
As I watched friends die from GRID, or AIDS,
Or whatever name of the day gave churches 
The right to point fingers and say – sinner 
As they sinned.

I am a child of Rubik’s cube, wishing for the innocence of my age.

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P.Christine Schmidt is a handi-capable lesbian. Born in California, her teenage years were lived on the Puget Sound and today she resides in Chicago’s suburbs. Her poetry evokes emotions on various topics, including social justice and disability. Her work has appeared in Boats Against the Current, The Coop, rez Magazine and The Fib Review.