A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: First Person

Yesteryear
by Nancy Reed
January 17, 2007

Youthful, carefree days gone by,
Bring thoughts of happy abandon,
When life was simpler and cares were few,
While running, giggling in warm summer rain,
'Neath marshmallow clouds and skies so blue.
Queen Anne's Lace, Purple Sweet Pea,
Black-eyed Susan and Golden Rod,
Adrift in meadows along country roads,
Where we biked the miles leading to a friend,
Who lived there amongst the humble abodes.
On to our small-town grocery store,
To buy marshmallows, hot dogs,
And Kool-aid for a wienie roast,
Watching town-square, cowboy movies,
Cider and doughnuts, parading as a ghost.
Hopscotch and roller skating on village sidewalks,
Until winter's onslaught came with ice and snow.
Skates torn from their summer resting places,
To spend hours on a frozen pond,
Until cold numbed fingers and reddened faces.
Making angel wings in the snow,
Gleeful shouts if schools were closed,
When roads were lost in snow drifts high,
What fun it was, my life, so long ago.

About the author:
I'm a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother living now is Red Bank, TN. after moving from Oberlin, Ohio in 1968. My poems have not been published...I just enjoy writing and reading poetry for my own amusement. I hope my poem, also, gives you some enjoyment or amusement.