Aging Poem

Reminiscing On Childhood

I have been writing stories and verses for as long as I can remember. I married in 1982. My wife of 29 years passed away 6 years ago, which left a void I'm still trying to fill. I have returned to writing as a way to overcome my loss and keep my mind alive. Getting published is not a main concern. I love to write. I'm hoping some will identify with what I've written here. Next month I turn 72, so I'm not looking for fame. I hope you enjoy my poem.

Featured Shared Story

Ah, blissful childhood memories. Raised in a rural community, most relatives and friends lived on farms. Being a town kid, homemade fried chicken dinners in an oversized farm kitchen, that...

Read complete story

Share your story! (3)

Kid Stuff

© more by Brian A. Bendall

Published by Family Friend Poems February 2018 with permission of the Author.

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!"

Advertisement

ABOUT THE POET:

I was born, raised and have lived in southern Ontario, Canada all my life. In my teens I developed a keen interest in music, art and writing. I went to art school and eventually became a mildly successful graphic artist. But music, at that time, became my only true love. Mom bought me my first guitar with ten books of green stamps when I was...

Read More

more by Brian A. Bendall

  • Stories 3
  • Shares 2299
  • Favorited 31
  • Votes 468
  • Rating 4.50
Has this poem touched you? Share your story!
  • Norma Scott by Norma Scott
  • 3 years ago

Ah, blissful childhood memories. Raised in a rural community, most relatives and friends lived on farms. Being a town kid, homemade fried chicken dinners in an oversized farm kitchen, that seated at least twelve kids on Sunday, or any given day, was a piece of heaven. Heaven while we gorged ourselves, anticipating the haystack below waiting for our screams from the barn roof. Fall season in town meant raking fallen leaves into model home blueprints of our liking or getting the huge galvanized tub ready for the neighborhood kids to bob for apples. Can't forget alley ways, burning trash in a four-foot cement container, or no utility charge for keeping the porch light on all night; perfect to play kick the can just after dusk. No one locked their doors or cars. Garages were big enough to barely fit the car. I could go on and on and.......... well one more. Waiting for the top ten songs on the Hit Parade on Friday nights and singing the lyrics to every one.

Well, that took me back a bit. Your old memories are a great deal more detailed than mine! I'm 78 and, like you, scribbling a bit without expecting publication. I will look up your other poems, keep writing.
Best wishes,
Ann D Stevenson

Brian, that's a fantastic list of things we did when we were kids. I remember all that too, if only things could have stayed free and happy as back in those days. -Beryl

Back to Top