So many childhood memories of days gone by
Some make me laugh, others make me cry
Evening music of crickets, cicadas and grasshoppers,
as we sat under a tree with friends telling whoppers.
Sleeping out of doors under the beautiful starlit sky,
watching and waiting for a shooting star to go by
A nice summer shower that quickly came and went
giving us a brief wet romp and pleasure well spent.
The smell of the upturned earth when daddy plowed
Running and romping in the soft soil was allowed
Climbing trees and swinging on the limbs to and fro
Daring and fearless we dangled, not letting mama know.
Playing in the sand pile and making castles galore.
’til the chickens scratched them to never more.
Playhouses so ingeniously made with things on hand,
baking mud pies, making believe they tasted so grand.
There was my brother, my sister and I made three
smoking the long stringed beans from a catalpa tree
Rolling those big old black tires as fast as we could,
often picking up a sandburr from where they stood.
Swimming in the creek and getting a bad sun burn
applications of vinegar and mom's reprimand stern
Fourth of July and firecrackers that made a lot of noise,
girls pretending to be scared, when chased by the boys.
The smell of sizzling hot-dogs roasting on sharp poles
and marshmallows toasting over smoldering red coals
Making homemade ice cream on a hot summer night,
while sitting on the freezer until the crank turned tight.
Going barefooted and the feel of the hot yellow sand
sometimes picking a sandburr out of a foot by hand
Fishing in grandpa's farm pond on a nice summer day
removing the catfish from the pole in a most careful way
Drinking cool water straight from the well outside
from an old rusty tin cup that looked less than implied
Our little spotted dog Knobby, was our best friend
He was our faithful protector until the very end.
Sitting by a warm wood stove on a cold winter night
while reading a good book by the dim kerosene light,
Romping in the freshly fallen snow, so cold and white,
Tossing snow balls at each and squealing with delight
Remembering soft down pillows on which our heads laid
snuggling together on a feather tick that grandma made
These remembrances are from a childhood, many days past,
replaced by modern conveniences and a world moving fast.
|