Thursday, 18 November 2010

Vegas in the Sixties. Magpie 41.

Traminer on ice.













We liked it sweeter then.
Darkened room,
brilliant stage.
When entertainers wore suits.
Sinatra, tie loosened,
cigarette dangling,
in the wee small hours.
When romance
powered our world.

Read more magpie tales here.

37 comments:

  1. Ah, yes! Those were the days. I remember them well. I'll have mine chilled please .. no ice!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This creates such a vivid image when I read it, I can imagine so many details from so few words, very good writing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ah romance....
    you said it well
    and that was a great take on that collaged image..perfect

    ReplyDelete
  4. "When romance powered our world" ...I remember those days.
    Wonderful.
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

    ReplyDelete
  5. Somehow, Stafford, your 28 words read like a lovely novel.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a lovely piece,
    When romance powered our world"

    ReplyDelete
  7. Didn't see the 60s, but this created quite an intriguing, romantic picture for me of how it was back then. Would also have wanted to see Sinatra with tie loosened and a cigarette.

    ReplyDelete
  8. mhhh I think I would have liked this atmosphere a lot :-)happy day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nostalgic take Stafford. Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr and the lot. Wonderful 60's!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Always a nice juxtaposition between
    the British Invasion of hard rock
    and the old timers playing Vegas,
    where some could still enjoy smoking
    without the chilling fear and expense
    of today, sitting in one those lounges
    sipping hard pop, arm around a blonde,
    roll of bills in the front pocket,
    trying to overlook the assassination
    of Kennedy, the emergence of civil
    rights, and that pesky bush war
    in Southeast Asia.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glenn, funny you should write this right now.
    I am writing a new novel and was thinking about the limits to what we can comfortably pay attention to and how that is shrinking rapidly. The world has become a scarier place but just as we need so urgently to see the big picture, we are pulling back, limiting our worlds, trying to recreate a time when we felt in control.
    Of course we never were, as you point out. But it was compartmentalised as it can never be again, tea parties notwithstanding.

    It really is time to stop chanting the mantas and think.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for your comment. Though it hasn't been long, you know me... why yes, I've been known to fib for a rhyme and rhyme for a fib as well.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, yes! Oh, yes! Those were the days, my friend....:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You captured 'that era' when singers were singers, men were men, woman were sophisticated and show business really was show business, so very well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Loved this. I hope this doesn't mean that the romance is now all behind us.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It was, indeed, so, so, sweet...the first time around.

    ReplyDelete
  17. ah yes romance...better power than warfare

    ReplyDelete
  18. Could hear Sinatra's voice , instantly.."of the morning"..thanks for the memories!

    ReplyDelete
  19. oh i think romance could still power the world if we let it...

    ReplyDelete
  20. There is a massive tug-of-war here between the response to the muse and the comments it elicited. Between rose-coloured glasses and reality. Between our reach and our grasp.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Stafford,
    I just returned from Vegas.
    It's different now: all bling and bluster.
    rel

    ReplyDelete
  22. A very evocative piece. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Swing it, baby!

    You've got this so right, Stafford.

    ReplyDelete
  24. A lovely trip back. My dad played so much Sinatra as I grew, though it's Danny Kaye that I associate with him more. But they were true gents.

    Romance these days..? Raves, tattoos and bags of chips (and loads of lager, of course!)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lovely piece, Stafford. Thanks for sharing with us!

    ReplyDelete
  26. We liked it sweeter then...

    the following lines of your tale explained exactly WHY ...

    a tale that is full of wonders.
    love every word of it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. the world is dull without romance,

    magical tale, love your humor, wit, and magical ability in painting a story with so few words and so extraordinary impacts.

    keep it up.
    Smiles!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Sunday, dear poet friend.
    it is a pleasure to read you and get inspired by your poetry.

    keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  29. And to the likes of us, this seems like a dream.. :)
    Really enjoyed the romanticism in your poem..
    I have a feeling I have used the EXACT same adjective on an older poem by you... And my intention was definitely not to sound repetitive.. that's just how I felt on reading the poems! It's just dreamy and kinda takes the reader back to some calmer (and peaceful) time..

    Well written, Stafford..

    ReplyDelete
  30. Those were the days....a wonderful era, and you captured it amazingly....hope you still have a few nights like that Stafford...:-)

    ReplyDelete
  31. romance powered world is something i could get used to!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Appreciating the time and energy you put into your site and detailed information you offer.
    It's good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't
    the same outdated rehashed information. Wonderful read!
    I've saved your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account.


    Look at my weblog quirky jewellery uk

    ReplyDelete

(leave a message)