.

Lord, Give Me Serenity

Lord, give me serenity
To deal with lunatics,
Especially the ones
Who are found in politics.

Help me to stay calm,
And keep me honor bound,
But take them to perdition
Wherever they are found.

Please give me the courage
To stay in self-control;
Although, I want to bury them
In the deepest hole.

Then give me the wisdom
To save enough for bail
In case I act on impulse,
And I am sent to jail.

.

.

A Generation Lost in Space

I hate to leave our future in
__The hands of a generation
That grew up without God in school,
__With history deprivation.

The communist ideologies
__That have been well disproved,
Are once again upon the rise,
__Though they were once removed.

We cannot trust the colleges
__And universities
To hire truly good professors
__To their faculties.

In fact, it’s just the opposite.
__They teach with pure disdain
For everything American
__That may still remain.

Professors tell their students,
__“Forget what you have learned.
From parents and your younger years.
__They should all be spurned.”

They’ll call you independent now,
__But you fell in their trap.
They fill your head with socialist nonsense,
__But you won’t know it’s crap.

Millennials are all now clueless.
__Their mistakes can kill us all.
My only hope is leaving earth
__Before the final fall.

I think that I have made it clear.
__I know I’ve made my case.
The present generation is
__Somewhere lost in space.

.

.

LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 5,000 poems in 78 of his 101 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.

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35 Responses

  1. Paddy Raghunathan

    Roy,

    Really enjoyed Lord, Give Me Serenity, since I feel that way about politicians on both the left and right (both here in the US where I live, and in India, my erstwhile homeland).

    Best regards,

    Paddy

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Thank you, Paddy. I look for a knowledge of history and a capability for logic which distances me from the extremes of politics as well.

      Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      That is a special comment, Petlwane, and I choose serenity from God, as well. That keeps me focused and safe.

      Reply
  3. Warren Bonham

    Both poems were spot on. We never seem to learn from history so we keep falling for the same traps and tricks.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      From my understanding of contemporary coursework, that is our greatest educational deficiency. I agree with your assessment.

      Reply
  4. Brian A Yapko

    Both of these are great poems, Roy, full of painful insights and observations served up with no small dose of good humor. I certainly relate to “Lord, Give Me Serenity” as every day results in some new frustrating interaction with people who love to talk but who know nothing other than what they learn on Facebook.

    As for “A Generation Lost in Space” — it’s both true and painful and, although there is humor here, the conditions you describe are very worrisome. It’s more than just millenials. It’s all of Generations X, Y and Z (whatever that means.) It seems to be everyone raised on cellphones, Facebook and videogames and not one shred of awareness regarding World War II or the Cold War. They literally know nothing about Communism and why it was (is) such a threat. But it sounds cute so they run with it.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Thank you, Brian, for the kind comments and the trenchant insights which in our opinions seems to be root causes of our contemporary social and political malaise.

      Reply
    • Joseph S. Salemi

      Brian, it’s not just these recent generations. Ever since Deweyite pedagogy triumphed in the teacher-training institutions, education has come to be seen as a tool for social adjustment and adaptation rather than the inculcation of facts, skills, and the appreciation of our cultural heritage. Perfect examples are the way in which Deweyites transformed the teaching of history into a nebulous subject called “Social Studies,” and English into a fraud called “Communications.”

      The public school systems in America and the very powerful teachers’ unions have fully supported this change, and therefore genuine education is now in the hands of those individual teachers who labor against the grain to teach subjects honestly and traditionally. Such teachers are not very popular with administrators.

      Reply
      • Roy Eugene Peterson

        Those are perfect comments, Joseph. My mother attended NEA conventions and often stood up to challenge the leadership and speakers on how, what, and why some subjects were taught and collectively grouped, as well as on the content being proposed for courses. I observed her in action firsthand and learned the necessity to stand up for what one believes.

  5. Tonia Kalouria

    Especially loved Lost in Space. And yes, by destroying, discrediting
    history, “they” won’t even know what they are missing/have missed.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      You are right, Tonia, and we will all continue to suffer from such a deficiency.

      Reply
  6. Rohini

    Excellent! A good fun read. I agree with Paddy there, Serenity could apply to politicians anywhere!

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Like you and Paddy, mentally I have to have the wisdom of serenity, or else I would go over the edge.

      Reply
  7. Paul Freeman

    I’ve mentioned the comedian Dave Allen, before, and your ‘Serenity’ poem reminded me of Mr Allen once declaring, “Lord give me patience; but give it to me, now.” I enjoyed the universal (and humorous) message of your poem.

    With ‘A Generation Lost in Space’, perhaps we’re not giving the present younger generation enough credit. Although I may be considered left of centre in my opinions, my kids are more centrist and even right of centre. They have minds of their own and I let them find their own way. But then I’m not privy to the overall education system of the US and Britain, and how history’s taught there. Then again, teachers aren’t as influential as they were in the past.

    Thanks for the reads, Roy.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      I appreciate your comments, Paul. That is a fun quote by Mr. Allen. Referencing the second poem, I have been observing that in the US, subjects like history, government, and civics have given way over the years, first to diminished requirements and even deletion from the curriculum in higher education, as well as in high schools, and more recently to the far-left wokish efforts to infiltrate classrooms. Added to that are professors who pay less attention to factual research and deliver more opinionated material in the classroom. In the digital age, studies have found in the US that students grades and scores have been diminished when one would think with all the capability at hand, they would become more educated. The greatest loss is in public schools.

      Reply
      • Joseph S. Salemi

        A very large percentage of traditional education in the West (and every other literate culture world-wide) involves the reading of texts, and memorization.

        Both of these things are anathema to Deweyites. Dewey didn’t even think that it was necessary for a child to learn to read until the later grades. As for memorization of anything at all, those coming out of our teacher-training institutes today have been indoctrinated to despise it with a passion, and to ignore it totally in the classroom.

        As a result, things like correct spelling (normally taught by both reading and testing), the multiplication tables (now considered obsolete since the kids have calculators), and time-line dating of events have all lapsed into desuetude. Foreign languages are barely taught at all. This is why the United States is now considered the least literate and numerate of the developed nations. Our lying Department of Education covers this fact up with a lot of blather about how many diplomas and certificates and scholarships are awarded every year. As the soldiers said in World War II, “Everybody gets the Good Conduct Medal.”

      • Margaret Coats

        In Los Angeles, students who do not SPEAK English are not to be introduced to it until the third grade.

      • Joseph S. Salemi

        My mom and her four siblings, all born between 1909 and 1917, spoke only Messinese Sicilian at home, though they certainly picked up some rudimentary English playing with American kids in the street.

        When they began school, English was the sole language of instruction and student response. They just took it in stride, and learned it. All of them went to college, all of them became professionals, and all of them were fluently articulate in English as adults. My mom got 98 in English on the New York Regents Exam in 1932, and believe me, the exam was a helluva lot tougher back then than it is now.

        The schools at that time weren’t Deweyite. They were no-nonsense, shit-kicking places that demanded reading and writing of text, and memorization of rules and facts, as a matter of course.

  8. Joshua C. Frank

    Love these, Roy! The first one is funny and relatable, and the second is absolutely true.

    I’m in the border zone between X and Millennial (sometimes called “X-ennial”), and I’m ashamed of my generation to no end. Almost all, even the few who go to church, are very badly educated, addicted to digital drugs, and staunch leftists (in short, at best unchanged since I went to school with them), and the younger generations are even worse. All my friends are at least (or just under) 20 years older than myself.

    My parents made sure that I was educated in the values taught to their generations through the reading material they gave me, by keeping me from TV until I was 7, by discussing current issues with me (my father was a history buff, which was really helpful), and by correcting the propaganda I was taught in school. (Just imagine what homeschooling could have done!) As a result, I was able to break away from the liberal garbage in my twenties, because I had learned to think for myself with their help.

    Thank God I never really learned to be one of my generation in the first place!

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Joshua, I can relate to having been taught the values of the ten commandments, among other things, and having to learn by rote educational materials including poems by the sixth and seventh grade and reciting them in front of the class. Since we had not electricity on the farm until I was 11 years old, there was no television and the radio was battery operated and rationed. We had no tv until I was 14. My grandfather taught government, history, math, algebra, and typing, while my mother taught English and Latin. I won first place in district spelling in high school. I also memorized music, singing a duet with my mother in church at the age of 6 and later winning state in boys voices in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. That required memorization, Thank you for your contribution to the discussion.

      Reply
  9. Margaret Coats

    Roy, such perceptive verses on the subject of education! It’s always worth writing about, as the process and the needs are ever ongoing. You are right to put God and history at the top of your list of issues, but there is another. Many years ago I took part in a discussion about the possibility of founding a new private college in association with a state university. The idea was that the state school could instruct in the sciences, foreign languages, and other subjects not easily perverted. The new institution would offer authentic theology, history, and literature. The project failed to materialize when it became clear that state university instruction in sciences and languages was already heavily tainted with ideology having nothing to do with science or language.

    Literature had earlier gone into the black hole of multifarious interpretations. Today, these appear even in the Cliff’s Notes on classics, which used to be good at offering straightforward summaries of plot and characters. As classical poets, we help rescue literature not only by our own writings, but just as much by reference to and reliance on the traditions of good literature. Paul Freeman has stated correctly that teachers are not as influential as they used to be; this is partly because most have abandoned the goal of passing on knowledge, but even more because most have degrees in education rather than knowledge to pass on. Many professedly play games such as letting students educate one another. Or they substitute technological geegaws and classroom activities for teaching. Students with native intelligence recognize this, and give it no respect. Joseph Salemi pointed out that true teachers are not popular with administrators, but they earn respect and admiration from many students. This is hopeful.

    Most public schools lost a sense of history before I got to the elementary grades. Since I loved reading biographies from the school library, I wondered about the history, but learned it only during one year when I went to school in another district that taught history, pure, simple, and chronological. As a child, then, I realized that I would need to learn history by reading from the public library. Later I applied the same method to English literature. It remains to be seen whether the method can work for students unaccustomed to books and lost in screenspace!

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Margaret, I never would have suspected a change in Cliff’s Notes! My mother and grandfather were both teachers. My grandfather told me to become really educated, I had to start with reading the entire “Bible,” “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,” and the “Dictionary.” I completed all those by the seventh grade and then was given a set of Encyclopedias. He taught me that I should not read novels, but concentrate on classic literature, government and history. My mother taught high school English and Latin. Some of my other personal experiences in education are under Joshua’s comments above. My first history class was in the sixth grade in South Dakota and that continued when my family moved to Texas.

      From what you and Joseph told me, there is no wonder students these days are lost in space, or as you so perfectly put it, “lost in screenspace.”

      Reply
  10. Cheryl Corey

    Roy, I love the twist in the first poem. Regarding the second and the study of history, I’m delving into the subject again on my own, as I recently found (at a Goodwill) seven out of the eleven volumes of Will Durant’s Story of Civilization.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Wow! “The Story of Civilization” is a great find! Thank you for loving the twist in the first poem, as well.

      Reply
    • Joshua C. Frank

      I read of Will Durant in an old book I read: Cana Is Forever by Fr. Charles Hugo Doyle:

      https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/cana-is-forever-11226

      To save readers the trouble of finding the passage of his that was quoted, here it is:

      “Mentioning Will Durant brings to mind one of the most striking confessions I have ever read. It was made by Durant before a group of bankers—the New York State League of Savings and Loan Associations—at their fifty-third annual convention held at Lake Placid, June 12-14, 1940. Mr. Durant spoke on “The Crisis in American Civilization” and readily admitted that, while he had once been a great admirer of Margaret Sanger and an apostle of birth prevention, he suddenly began to realize that he had participated in the creation of a Frankenstein’s monster that now menaces our civilization. Let me quote Mr. Durant verbatim, and I urge you to read every word of the following:

      “I remember, in the first private school that I taught, having among my pupils two little boys whose name was Sanger. They were the children of Margaret Sanger, whom at that time I knew as a modest nurse in a hospital in New York. During that woman’s brief maturity she has changed the whole biological face of the western world…. She taught the human beings of this country to make parentage voluntary, discriminating, and perhaps dangerously sparse.

      “As I contemplate the movement, I must congratulate it on its victory. It has won almost completely, and perhaps today that movement stands in the midst of its victory, wondering if it was good. It is a terrible thing—isn’t it?—to give your life to an enterprise of human liberation and then, having won all the goals that you set out for, to stand in doubt as to whether this was what you sought. For today the people of America who could bring up fine children, whose homes are equipped to give education and civilization and health, keep those homes more and more empty. And the homes that are not equipped either biologically or socially to give civilization and health and education are the homes that are making the future citizens of America.

      “Sometimes, when I look at America today, I wonder: Are all our victories defeats? And perhaps some of our defeats might be victories.

      “I, too, worked for this birth control movement—preached it, shouted it almost from the housetops shamelessly; and today I see America breeding from the bottom and dying from the top because we won so thoroughly. I am not sure that it was good. We have solved one problem and we have created another that is immeasurably profounder.

      “I know what happened to Athens. Infanticide was raised to such a point that nobody raised children in Athens except the lowest of the low and the most barbaric of the immigrants. I know what happened to Rome. I know how Caesar almost scratched his head bald thinking how he could induce the Roman women to have children. He decreed that they should have no diamonds if they had no children—that they should have no jewels of one kind if they had none of the other. I know that Augustus passed law after law in the first decade of our Christian era almost two thousand years ago, trying to stop this current of family limitation. I know too that all that legislation failed. I know that Rome at last had to till her soil with barbarians and with slaves; and that finally, the rapidly breeding immigrant Germans overran Italy. It was the end of the Western Roman Empire.

      “Civilization has to kill itself before it can be conquered. . . . You will be conquered from within, not from without.”

      Reply
      • Roy Eugene Peterson

        Wow! That is powerful, Joshua. Great contribution!

      • Joshua C. Frank

        Thank you, Roy. This fact was one of the major reasons I left liberalism; I realized that it was an evolutionary dead end and would still be so even if it were desirable.

  11. James Sale

    Very droll, Roy – especially liked Lord, Give me Serenity: we can all identify with that in the present age. Well done, excellent work!

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Great and gracious comments, James. Deeply appreciated.

      Reply
  12. Adam Wasem

    Haha, loved them, Roy. Tight, punchy and funny. Amen, I say. My only suggestion is the title of your second poem. I would shorten it to just “Lost in Space.” Calling it “A Generation Lost in Space” spoils the surprise turn of your final line.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      Thank you for the suggestion, Adam. I will accept that and make a future change. I loved your comments.

      Reply

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