THE MOVIES

I used to go to movies

Before my hearing failed.

The shows were entertaining;

Evil lost, the good prevailed!

The hero got the girl,

The villain went to jail,

Or maybe to the morgue.

It was a cautionary tale!

Today it’s very different.

Life is more complex.

Movies are more daring.

There’s profanity and sex!

Sometimes it’s hard to tell

The good guys from the bad.

The endings unpredictable,

Uplifting, dour or sad.

The movie stars of old

Were famous, every one:

Bogart, Gable, Holden,

Bergman, Hepburn, Dunne.

One can scarcely keep abreast

Of the modern movie scene.

Actors come and go,

Just images on the screen.

Still I go to movies

Though rarely, I must say.

Those over-loud commercials

Even keep the deaf away!