The Crash, October 29,1929

Brought an end To the good life Of the Roaring 20's For some Who made money the measure of their Worth The loss was unbearable Life had lost all purpose and Meaning They could not and did not Survive Others were left destitute But alive Hungry and homeless Their entire life savings Completely Wiped out Forced to rely on the kindnesses Of strangers Everyone, even those who were relatively Unscathed Had to re-evaluate What truly Mattered in the making of their Lives It was, for the discerning An opportunity To re-think and re-invent Themselves In a way that was much more Stable Than a disappearing Dollar bill Our parents and grandparents Remembered Those hard times They understood the difference Between need and Desire They lived with a frugality Their children could hardly Comprehend In an age of television and Laptops and not so smart Phones That disconnected them From one another That's why we look back To those who have preceded us To recover those lost pieces Of ourselves The wisdom once Gleaned Through trial and Tribulation That we, in our rush To be modern So full of ourselves Have inadvertently Forgotten. ~ Laurence Overmire