Idyllicism

I know we had an idyllic past

I’ve learned about it in the movies and on TV

Always Sunny days, and after church going home

Sit down family dinners everybody in their Sunday best

For ham with pineapple, and mashed potatoes with brown gravy

And green beans from the garden

And peach cobbler with handmade ice cream for dessert

Or maybe walk into town

to the town square

spreading our picnic blanket on the lawn

in front of the band-shell

waiting for John Philippe Sousa to arrive

stars and stripes forever

before the first war and maybe back further

but TV showed there were cars already

but medicines like vaccinations, and especially hospitals weren’t like today

death is not so idyllic when it comes at 45

when people died from diseases long gone now

and people went hungry

really only white people went to the park

to hear the volunteers play high school instruments

and have their Sunday picnic

the colored still had signs to tell them where to sit

where to stand, where to go

and after all they had their own part of  town

and those brown folks that worked in the fields

well they couldn’t come to town at all

nothing for them but hard work

no schools, no medicine, no anything

and especially nothing that the town had to pay for

Calvinism runs strong through idyllic America

When Cruzie or Rubiota, Randy, Walken Tall, Perry the killer of coyotes

or others of their ilk

want to take back America I’m afraid they believe in the TV illusions

idyllic-ism overly fond reverence for that which never was

in a time when the poor and the needy were scorned

By people talking about Jesus

do not help others they must help themselves

besides they cost money

acting as if Calvin himself was their minister/preacher

“Pull yourself out of sin

Suffer through hard work

hoard money don’t spend you will be rewarded

only if you qualify, only if you’re white, only if you control who votes

Control and domination will be your reward