Letting Go of the Eighties



Letting Go Of The Eighties

It’s time!
to finally let them go —
     Shoulder pads,
     bangles,
     and bows
Puffy sleeves,
baby-blue dress
Big hair clips,
high-tops,
and wedge
    Walkman ear buds,
    high-waist jeans,
    Jelly shoes
    bright pink, lime green
It’s time!
to finally —toss them out!!!!!
all that I can live without…
     Silly me
     to keep
     that fluff
     It’s crowding out
     my nineties stuff!

About this poem

One day, cleaning out my closet of stuff that I should’ve thrown out decades ago, this silly poem came to me.

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Written on November 11, 2024

Submitted by susan.brumel on January 16, 2025

23 sec read
66

Quick analysis:

Scheme x AxxxxxxxxxxxxxAbbxxcbc
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 452
Words 78
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 1, 22

Susan Mayer Brumel

A few years ago, I retired from a thirty-five year career in hospice counseling, at which time I began writing poetry. My poems are influenced by my patients’ journeys, the compelling beauty of nature, and the human condition. A lover of all animals and most people, I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks, and reading Pablo Neruda, Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Joyce, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Cohen, and more. Baudelaire tells us to ‘be drunk’ on something every day; I am drunk on poetry and intend never to be sober! more…

All Susan Mayer Brumel poems | Susan Mayer Brumel Books

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Discuss the poem Letting Go of the Eighties with the community...

9 Comments
  • rameshs.88917
    Yes,it is the flavour of modernity and the impacts of modernism in 20 th century. But it is said that old id is gold.I like traditional dresses as reminds us about all-time timeless classic beauty and ancestors' heritage, symbol of respect for them and handed over to us.But old fashion of dresses are overlapped in due time.But still I preserved high baggy waisted killer Jeans,Reebok hollow sweeter this takes me to the past days.I admire your style of describing colour of objects and provoking light mood.
    Exceptional creativity. Congratulations Ma'am. 
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you, Ramesh! I’m so happy my silly poem resonated with you. I agree with your appreciation of the old ways of dressing that may be traditional for our culture. But when you accumulate irrelevant’stuff’, it’s time to throw it out! Lol 
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • rameshs.88917
      ha ha ,I seem still J Alfred Prufrock of 20 th century
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      LOL. I love that poem.
      LikeReply1 month ago
    • rameshs.88917
      Oo Your Highness! I know--
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • gary_dean
    Thank you for this humor. Cogent and well penned it is exactly what I was looking for tonight. So glad i found it.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you so much, Gary. I’m happy it gave you a chuckle or two :-)
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • JokerGem
    This one is really cute, Sue. Thumbs up.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thanks, Jeffrey! Happy you liked it. :-)
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • philmaund
    Not silly at all! I had a good chuckle at the end. I didn't see that coming!
    LikeReply 21 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thanks, Phil! Happy it gave you a chuckle. I owed you one. :-p
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • mark.e.s
    If I catch any of you boys on the beach in bikini briefs I'm leaving town!
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • npirandy
      Nobody would catch me in bikini briefs! That would empty the beach in a HURRY!!
      LikeReply 11 month ago
  • npirandy
    Seriously??
    I still have my Nehru jacket and disco garb. I lived in bright yellow, green, and red polished cotton pants. I hate to throw things out. After all, bell bottoms came back.
    Fun poem, thanks for the memories. 
    LikeReply 21 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Nehru jackets- so sexy! Haha. I missed those brightly colored cotton pants though! Funny. Glad my poem gave you a chuckle. :-)
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • ThembieAngieeMt
    This poem is such a fun and colorful snapshot of the 1980s! Even though I didn’t live through that decade, the vivid imagery of "shoulder pads," "Jelly shoes," and "big hair clips" paints a clear picture of its unique and bold style. The playful rhythm and humor, especially in lines like “It’s crowding out my nineties stuff!” make it so relatable—it captures the universal feeling of outgrowing old phases and making space for new ones.
    I love how this poem makes the past feel alive and familiar, even for someone who didn’t experience it firsthand. It’s a lighthearted yet thoughtful reminder that letting go can be freeing, and it left me with a smile!

    Did you finally throw it away for real or can I have it?
     
    LikeReply 21 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      You’re so funny! It’s all gone! I burned the shoulder pads in a bonfire. But if I had it, I’d gladly give it to you! Lol I’m happy you could appreciate my silly humor. :-)
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • ThembieAngieeMt
      kkkk, a bonfire sounds like the perfect send-off for those shoulder pads! Thank you for the offer, though I can only imagine how fabulous I’d look rocking some vintage '80s flair! And your humor is the best,keep it coming! :) 
      LikeReply 21 month ago
  • Symmetry60
    If you think for one second I'm giving up my Member's Only jacket and parachute pants, you can just forget it!!! And don't EVEN try to swipe my snakeskin cowboy boots. You pickin up what I'm puttin down, toots??? I was rockin with Dokken in the 80s and I will be rockin with Dokken in 25. Shout out to Chess King and the hundreds of $$$ I spent on the coolest clothing anyone ever saw a straight dude wear. *Frankie Goes To Hollywood playing in background* *snort* 
    LikeReply 41 month ago
    • ThembieAngieeMt
      LikeReply1 month ago
    • mark.e.s
      lol
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      Hysterical! I’m imagining what you looked like. The snakeskin boots I’d never throw out! :-)))
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Symmetry60
      Actually, those boots were deep-sixxed quite some time ago but I needed them for effect as per my mock tirade. Neener! Neener! Neener!
      LikeReply 21 month ago
  • mark.e.s
    Really good and really funny.
    LikeReply 11 month ago

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"Letting Go of the Eighties" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 19 Feb. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/210160/letting-go-of-the-eighties>.

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