The Writer's Forum

Do you remember the time when we were young and fell in love?
With the afro, the wet-look, the glittered suit and white gloves.
I wore white socks to school thinking I was sooooooo cool,
And memorised lines from “Thriller” as I tried to impress you,
 
Another part of me can see the DJ play “Billie Jean”,
And as a child I laughed as my family hit the floor and made a scene,
That’s when I realised some music forms the soundtrack to our lives,
As I watched them turn the clock back to rock like it was “Motown 25”
 
I backslide to move forward to teenage memories on dancefloors,
And smile everytime I tried to style out an awkward Moonwalk(!)
I’d “pop-lock” to the big hits of Pop’s greatest misfit,
Locked into his robotics but shocked by his shape shifting,
 
But whenever that needle hit the record,
Or that laser kissed the disc,
Remember the way it made you feel…
When that MP3 was clicked?
 
I’ve seen every range of race from: Black, White and Asian,
Bust timeless moves to timeless grooves,
To remind you who had the tunes for all ages,
 
See generations grew up with this little black boy from the hood,
Watched him turn into a man, whose mirror reflected the bad and the good,
Generations were infatuated by a billion headlines,
And saw behind the painted smile that the breaking-point was nigh,
 
Still I’m reminded all the while of my first girl, of being young and in love,
When we sang Michael Jackson songs and joked on the way back from the club,
I yelled “Beat it” so loud that you told me to shut up,
I wore the same old red leather jacket, ‘cos I thought it looked tough(!)
 
So will we remember the times:
Before the headlines?
Before the media trials?
Before the mad circus design?
Because before the controversy and the worst of hearing the truth and the lies,
There was a little boy who sang his heart out and today his music died,