Childhood Memories

They say that times were tough then
That money was very tight
But I remember my childhood
And I know that can't be right

Mom would cook our dinner
Dad came home at five
We were all sitting at the table
Waiting for him to arrive

We wouldn't eat from a microwave
Or a restaurant down the street
We all ate Mom's home cooking
And boy, that can't be beat

We didn't eat in front of the TV
Or with a phone in our hand
We weren't plugged into a stereo
Bopping to the latest band

We would all sit at the table
Everyone in their place
There were never any surprises
We recognized every face

Brothers to the left of me
Sisters to the right
That's the way we ate dinner
Every single night

We laughed, we joked, we talked, we ate
We were a family, don't you see
Though some may have been raised poor
You can see it wasn't me

We ate collards, we ate biscuits
We ate fatback and blackeyed peas
We said yes sir, we said no sir
We said thank you ma'am and please

So when you talk of family life
Or how it used to be
Though many had more money
None were as rich as me

I was thinking of love, and you came to mind.
I have many memories I would like to rewind.

Do you remember those days I would lie in your lap
As you doodled my ears, I would take a short nap.

I'm remembering the nights that we spent together.
You would scratch my back gently, ever so tender.

As I rewind a bit more, I am seeing much fun.
I'm remembering the fall and all the raking we had done.

So many leaves piled by the tree,
You would cover me up till I couldn't see.

Those are just a few of the memories I have.
Let's rewind a bit more to when I was bad.

I'm sorry for the times when I made you cry.
Looking back at the past, I'm not sure I know why.

I know as a child I was stubborn, selfish, and strange,
But look at me now, and how much I've changed.

I assume looking back, it's hard to understand
That today I'm quite normal, I think God lent a hand.

The ending is near, I think I've said enough!
I could go on forever, but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

All joking aside, I would be up all night
If I continued this poem and continued to write.

There are just not enough words to express all the love
Other than the words written above.

So I thank you!
From the bottom of my heart for loving me no matter what.

Many, many years ago
When I was just a kid,
And I had just began to grow,
There's stuff I had and did.

I'm thinking back on all those things
That life saw fit to give me.
If I can't remember everything,
I hope you will forgive me.

Chocolate candy cigarettes
And big bubble gum cigars.
Mini Bricks and Red Ball Jets,
Hopscotch and Dinky cars.

Mercurochrome and iodine;
Band-aids in a can.
Your watch required a daily wind,
And Etch-A-Sketch was grand.

In school, the teacher had to see
Just what you had to do.
You held one finger up for pee;
You held up two for poo!

Marbles, Slinkys, Lincoln Logs,
Ker Plunk and Pick Up Sticks,
With Yo-yos, you could "walk the dog,"
And ice cream came in bricks.

Arrows all had suction cups
And guns had rolls of caps.
Paddle Balls and Tonka Trucks
Big red lips were wax,

Bumps on heads, being black and blue,
Was minor when compared to
Being sick with cold or flu!
Have fun? You're not prepared to!

Measles, mumps, and chicken pox
Always seemed to flare.
They opened up Pandora's Box
And caught us unaware!

With medicine and care from mom,
Our time in bed was cut!
But I can't remember anyone
Allergic to a nut!

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys
And also Brothers Grimm.
But Mark Twain was my pride and joy!
I never could resist him!

Hide and seek and tag were there.
New energy we found!
No more teacher scorns to bear
When summer came around.

PF Flyer running shoes,
Steel roller skates had keys.
There were phone booths we could use
If there's emergencies.

Rolling down a grassy hill
In parks was a delight.
Nicky Nine Doors was a thrill,
But only played at night!

We rode our bikes with playing cards
Flapping on our spokes.
We played in all our friends' backyards
And told our "Knock Knock" jokes.

Climbing fences, climbing trees
Were common things to do.
Getting bruised or skinning knees?
That was nothing new!

Two wheel scooters, kiddy cars,
We had Soap Box Rallies.
Baseball teams and monkey bars
And close by bowling alleys.

In winter, there were snowball fights
And snow forts for protection.
And when a bitter wind would bite,
Few kids raised objection!

Speeding down a snowy slope
On sleds and blown up tires.
"Is it too steep?" We all said, "Nope!"
We wanted to go higher!

In our teens were Levi jeans,
Duck and pony tails.
Sock hops were a common scene
Where dancing would prevail.

Bobby socks and poodle skirts
And continental slacks.
White buck shoes and fancy shirts,
Guitars and wailing sax!

Computers? What on Earth were they?!
Well, they would show up later.
And none I knew could dare display
Cell phones or calculators!

Many things I've mentioned here
Are still with us today.
But lots of kids, it does appear,
Ignore this great buffet!

What happened to the world I knew?
Have kids today stopped growing?
If time machines were really true,
I know where I'd be going!

Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff
Are nothing now but jokes.
But maybe I have said enough,
So I'll say, "That's all folks!"

Take me back to those simpler times
When all I sang were nursery rhymes,
When stealing chocolates was my only crime,
When sleep used to come early, at nine,
When my fears were much more sublime,
When I was unaware of society's paradigm,
When I actually used to mean, "I am fine."
Please, take me back to those simpler times.

I remember-
of days so long in the past
when I wished I would grow up so fast.

I remember-
endless races we had to school.
Coming first ensured you were cool.

I remember-
the sudden hot summer's rain,
dancing 'round and 'round again.

I remember-
playing in the luscious grass
with all my friends in my class.

I remember-
the spooky monsters under my bed;
Mum and Dad said it was all in my head.

I remember-
when I grew to be as old as ten,
my dad made me a tree-house as my den.

I remember-
hide-and-seek was the best game,
but as we grew up it became so lame.

I remember-
Haribos were as good as gold.
I will have as many as I want when I am old.

I remember-
when I wanted to be a king
with a large throne and a diamond ring.

I remember-
my first camping trip
or my first time on a ship.

I remember-
when I broke my wrist
all the fun is what I missed.

I remember-
Mr. Cuddles, my first teddy bear.
I loved him so much and took him everywhere.

Now that I am grey and old,
My childhood memories I have told.

Our TV set was black and white
And on its spindly legs it stood;
More deep than wide with dials that clicked,
All curved glass screen and grain of wood.

The screen was all of twenty inches,
Far away, way over there.
But you dared not creep up closer,
Lest your eyes would soon turn square.

A whole four channels from which to choose
Until they bid goodnight and closed;
From late night until mid-morning,
Static noise and screen of snow.

If you wished to change the channel,
Across the room you had to trek.
Then risk the loss of decent picture,
Rabbit ears were not high tech.

An exercise in mad frustration,
Swiveling, angling to and fro.
Yes! Stop there! The picture's "perfect,"
Right until you let them go.

If your show aired once a week,
Then one whole week you had to wait;
No binge watching or recording.
If you missed it, bad luck mate!

At times your programs overlapped
And that dilemma left you vexed -
Miss the end of the one you're watching
Or the beginning of the next?

All those ads with corny jingles,
Some of them were hard to take;
No fast forward and no pausing,
Just enough time for a bathroom break.

Or maybe not!...it was a gamble,
So it really must be said,
Though black and white it might have been,
At times it had me seeing red!

My childhood Christmas memories always make me smile.
I'll often drift to long ago and stay there for a while.
Remember singing carols long before the date?
Of counting days from Halloween, I really couldn't wait.
Recalling cherished carefree times that advent used to bring.
The infant class nativity, the songs we used to sing.
The being good, the secret smiles when making Christmas wishes,
The showing off to Santa by drying up the dishes.
"Eat your food, the elves are watching" was often said to me,
And though I'd quickly turn my head I never got to see,
And it always snowed at Christmas, least that's what I recall.
Standing by the fireside glow, watching the snowflakes fall,
I well recall the bustling shops, not frenzied like today.
The kindly smiles and gestures that set you on your way,
I crave the smells, and seasonal sights, the tastes that were sublime,
The long gone folk who touched our lives so much at Christmas time.
The sleepless nights on Christmas Eve, a mix of joy and fear,
While listening out for Santa Claus (I heard him every year),
And sleep might come eventually, though fitful if at all.
Then up I'd jump on Christmas Day, the greatest time of all,
Waking up the family to see if he had been,
Closing eyes and walking in to see the festive scene,
Running to a pile of gifts, "I can't believe my eyes."
"How did you know I wanted that?" and "What a great surprise!"

And then one year the magic did not seem to be as strong.
To believe in Father Christmas was childish and quite wrong,
So I never heard his sleigh bells on Christmas Eve again,
Nor saw snow at Christmas, just wind and sleet and rain.
And so it was for many years, my childhood Christmas gone.
Grown up responsibilities was the order from now on,
Until that is the greatest gift, a child to call my own.
Her Christmas Eve excitement by me was so well-known,
And as I kissed her goodnight last year and closed the door,
I swear I heard his sleigh bells upon the roof once more.

Back in the day, life was so clear
Families gathered and shared in the cheer
We spent our Pounds, Schillings and Pence
A time when our society had more sense

A time when children played in the streets
When everyone knew you from the top of your head to the shoes on your feet
Days when your neighbours would lend a hand
When hand-me-down clothes made you feel grand

Respect was abundant and a pleasure it was
Now our society has forgotten it because
We think we are so advanced in our mindset
In my opinion, we've lost our best bet

Doors were not locked but open to welcome
Now they are all locked up, unfeeling and unwelcome
I wish for the days of my childhood
When going to church did your heart good

The days when we spoke so fondly of life
Those days have passed us, now filled with strife
We've turned our backs on the important things
We miss all the love that knowing God brings

Wouldn't it be grand if we could have those virtues
I believe if we did, it would solve some issues
Wish we could go back to those bygone ways
And revisit the values of the bygone days

Oh, for those cloudless days of old
when holidays went on forever,
clear blue skies were lit with gold.

Grass seemed so much greener then,
days fluttered by like butterflies
in the garden playing with friends.

Fields were full of wildflowers
we picked and pressed into a book,
books were read for many hours.

Those trips away beside the sea,
ice cream and donkeys on the beach,
and surfing through the waves with glee.

We built our castles in the sand,
whilst kites reached heights of happiness,
it seemed those days would never end.

We spent those stifling endless summer afternoons
on hot front porches, cutting paper dolls from Sears
catalogs, making up our own ideal families
complete with large appliances
and an all-occasion wardrobe with fold-down
paper tabs.
Sometimes we left crayons on the cement
landing, just to watch them melt.
We followed the shade around the house.
Time was a jarful of pennies, too hot
to spend, stretching long and sticky,
a brick of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy.
Tomorrow’d be more of the same,
ending with softball or kickball,
then hide and seek in the mosquitoey dark.
Fireflies, like connect-the-dots or find-the-hidden-
words, rose and glowed, winked on and off,
their cool fires coded signals
of longing and love
that we would one day
learn to speak.

Published in Radiance (Word Press, 2005).