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by Barry S. McLeod ŠJuly 27, 2005 Around the age of eight, Were some of the happiest days of my entire life. I remember well, living in that old wooden shack Every night I'm sure I killed a least one hundred roaches. It was a nightly task to do the dishes, and wipe everything down, And sweep the cracked wood floor thorough. And mop regularly. These were some of the happiest days of my life. We had a cesspool in the backyard, That would run over from time to time, It would have the expected unpleasant odor, Sometimes snakes would gather there, And we'd kill them if we caught them, Because it was too close to our backdoor. They'd try to get away in the grass that was full of "sandie spurls". These were some of the happiest days of my life. Grandma worked for Dr. P. Foote, Cleaning his house, and raising his children. She would bring home the used clothes they didn't want anymore. They had a son around my age, Who must have been a typical boy like me. She'd give his clothes to me to wear to school, And I couldn't say "No thank you". Sometimes they were my better clothing. These were some of the happiest days of my life. Those days we loved to watch television as a family. Our TV was black and white and old, And needed a regular knocking on the side. From the outside we would turn the antenna, And holler back and forth to adjust the station. But we always laughed and enjoyed the programs, Especially after dinner, which was always the best. I never got enough of that skillet fried cornbread. These were some of the happiest days of my life. Our music came from a small transistor radio, That could fit into the palm of my hand. It was an AM frequency and I loved WGGG. When I hear those songs today, I still love them dearly. I remember most of the lyrics, titles and the names of the groups. It was so fulfilling to sing those songs over and over again, Almost every night. These were some of the happiest days of my life. During the freezing winter, We slept under stacks of blankets and quilts. First one up had to creep through the frozen tundra, And start the heater in the front room. Many times we had to boil water to wash with. Sometimes the toilet wouldn't flush, And we had to pour buckets of water in it to flush it. Our heaters were mainly kerosene, And the house often smelled that way. I didn't realize it but, sometimes my clothes, too. These were some of the happiest days of my life. In the summer it was scorching hot, And we fanned with newspaper, books, etc. We eventually got electrical fans and placed them in the windows. One to suck air in, the other to suck air out. I remember the iceman coming around selling large blocks of ice, And how we'd hurry to place our huge chunk into the icebox. These were some of the happiest days of my life. Grandma was dedicated to God, And every week we went to church, as a family. The members were also like family, Everyone was bonded across the board. After church we'd sit on the front porch and relax and talk. Sometimes the grown folks would just watch us children playing in the street, Just yards away from the front door. The neighborhood was happy back then, And these were surely some of the happiest days of my life. |
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*Notion For the Day: Although many times it doesn't seem so, there are always "good days." And to reminisce every once in a while, is an unchained pleasure that always exists.