CHILDHOOD hEROES

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman.

You were the superheroes of my youth.

Fighting crime, flying high above the skyscrapers of Gotham City,

Crusading for truth, justice and the American way.

Kryptonite be damned, those criminals didn't stand a chance with you.

But we cheered you on, knowing from the start that you were going to beat them.

Maybe it's just me, but, man, you guys are getting old.

Sure, you made the leap from comic books to movies and video games,

But, behind the mask, I can see the gray hair and the wrinkles.

Botox, anyone?

Like aging rock stars, you croon your greatest hits on stage

With your creaky voices and your vintage guitars.

Left wing or right, you're all part of the establishment now,

A billion-dollar franchise out to milk the public for every dollar it can get.

Where have all the superheroes gone?

Hillary, Trump, the Libertarians, the Greens.

Give me a hero fresh off the page,

Dripping with ink still wet,

An old-school hero in a new school disguise.

Give me a hero who will fight.


Rosalind Resnick

Sept. 29, 2016