Black or White

A Poem by me
(inspired by the Poem BELOW this one, you don't have to read it all)

Now we have color TV
The blood is red but war unreal.
News that entertainingly
Disseminates horror until fear is all we feel.

Polished anchors mouth a truth that's stretched
to unsound certainty.
Stern talking heads' opinions retched
all presented live on your TV.

Justified with holy pretensions
martyrs called to die and fight.
Rally round your televisions
I don't remember anything ever only black or white.

Black and White Poem (Under age 40? You might not understand)

You could hardly see for all the snow,
Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go;
Pull a chair up to the TV set,
"Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet."

Depending on the channel you tuned,
You got Rob and Laura - or Ward and June;
It felt so good. It felt so right,
Life looked better in black and white.

I Love Lucy, The Real McCoys,
Dennis the Menace, the Cleaver boys;
Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train,
Superman, Jimmy and Lois Lane.

Father Knows Best, Patty Duke,
Rin Tin Tin and Lassie too;
Donna Reed on Thursday night!
 -- Life looked better in black and white.

I wanna go back to black and white,
Everything always turned out right;
Simple people, simple lives...
Good guys always won the fights.

Now nothing is the way it seems,
In living color on the TV screen;
Too many murders, too many fights,
I wanna go back to black and white.

In God they trusted, alone in bed, they slept,
A promise made was a promise kept;
They never cussed or broke their vows,
They'd never make the network now.

 But if I could, I'd rather be,
In a TV town in '53;
It felt so good. It felt so right,
Life looked better in black and white.

I'd trade all the channels on the satellite,
If I could just turn back the clock tonight;
To when everybody knew wrong from right,
Life was better in black and white!