When all the Jens turn 50

Generation X
Generation post-punk 
And bands with big hair 
and even longer ballads.

Roller skates and
Hot summer nights with no A/C.
Curling irons, crimping irons and Aquanet.
Beetlejuice, Heathers, Freaks and Geeks,
Kevin Smith movies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
The Nightmare Before Christmas and Grunge.

The Cure on stage
Robert Smith holding my hands;
Such gratitude and connection to his fans.

When all the Jens turn 50,
Does that mean we now run the show?
We make our own rules.
We speak our minds.
We still wear T-shirts from our favorite bands
Some of the lucky ones still touring.

When all the Jens turn 50,
We will have gained so much wisdom and insight
No longer timid and shy
Filled with such doubt and lacking self-assurance
Will we ever fit in?

When all the Jens turn 50,
Generation X has turned the tide.
The sun and moon know our true age
As we dance around the musician’s stage.

From one Jen to another, who has not yet turned 50

In loving memory to my first real friend, Jennifer Lopes (Brink)
, who would have turned 50 this year.