The Conforming Nonconformist

During my Freshman year,
The campus was a hotbed
Of radical political theories
And student activism.
It was a time of hippies
And Flower Children,
Free love, chemical stimulants
And a social revolution
That turned education upside down
And the country inside out.
For the most part,
I was a by-stander,
Standing on the sidelines,
Watching the circus go by,
But I was also a chameleon
Who blended in perfectly
With my surroundings.
Essentially, I was
A conforming nonconformist.
I wore the fashion of the day,
Large, floppy, striped,
Bell-bottom pants, sandals
A flowered shirt, a Neru jacket
And dark sunglasses.
I also sported a mustache
And goatee for effect.
I wish I had a picture
Of how I looked then.
Maybe I could get one under
The Freedom of Information Act
From the trove of surveillance shots
Taken back then.
Basically I was trying to be like
Everyone else
Who were all trying to be different
With great similarity.