Boomer Computer Lingo

When I thought of windows
As I was growing up
They were things you had to clean
To watch the sun come up.
Computer was unheard of until “A Space Odyssey”
And was something in the distant future
Which I thought I’d never see.
The Net was something one wore on their hair
And apple was a fruit much like a pear.
Apples were red and delicious
And a byte was what you took out of one
While a gig was where one performed with their band
And provided teens with a lot of fun.
Ram was related to the livestock of the farmer next door
And hard drive was mainly in the wintertime
Getting through the snow to the country store.
I went to the chiropractor if I had trouble with a disc
And a crash usually involved someone who took an awful risk.
Putting a log on the fire in our old wood stove would bring
Warmth to fill out the application for college attendance in the spring.
Program meant you could watch TV after your piano keyboard you knew
And a spider’s web was sometimes seen glistening in the morning dew
A mouse was unwelcome for one did not want their home to be a mouse pad
Which may have made little field mice awfully sad.

If memory failed, it usually meant the person was getting on in years
And a cursor was someone who drove us all to tears!
Backup was what cars did and people backed up too
Especially if you were short on time and had lots of chores to do.
We zipped and unzipped our jackets and our jeans as well
And those who invested in CD’s were thought to be doing well.

Today computers are amazing and used in every home and school
And fortunately crashing them doesn’t injure anyone
…as a rule…
Thena Smith