Memory, Presence And Absence

When people who were newly adult in the 1960s
said 'If you can remember it then you weren't there'
it was a sly one-upmanship towards their elders.

What those unctuous youths denied
is how memory varies for more reasons
than the peer/peer use of recreational drugs
to throw off unwanted parental influence.
We deny how devious the addictive nature is.

When those youths strutted forgetfulness
what they denied is that every culture
and generation shifts from the previous
in what to keep in the hope
of some 'cleansing' fresh start
that will last into the future.

We are rarely honest about our pasts, 
and progress moves slower than we think.