I'm Leaving Behind

I'm leaving behind the Romantic sixties

I'm leaving behind the Kerouac fixes

I'm leaving behind the rarified air

The sweet smell of freedom it's chains laid bare

I'm in retreat from Romanticism

I'm in retreat from romance

I'm in retreat from the end of an era

And those who despise my class

Stepping back from the edge of the abyss

From the leap into infinity

Clearing my head, clearing my heart

Refusing to play my expected part

Returning to familiar faces

Returning to warm hearted places

Making the return journey home

Welcomed like the prodigal son 

Seeing my origins anew

Seeing that sense of belonging too

Seeing the roots from which I'd grown

Seeing a place that is now my own

Saying goodbye to things that I'd loved

Saying goodbye to things from above

Saying hello is a wonderful sound

Hello to having my feet on the ground

Aware of the sacrifice made

By my parents and their generation

Just as 'Do your own thing' exclaimed

The extent of selfish penetration

Class defines me not Art

Classical and not Romantic

Making a brand new start

No tripping, but the light is fantastic

Mike O'Leary - September 2014

Disillusioned at the end of the Romantic Sixties and returning to my working class roots (soon to be disillusioned again)