(by Cheryl Banks)
hiking the cool mossy woods or
peddling a bike hands free down dusty roads
past fields of gold and wildflowers
and hay filled barns next to tall corn silos
standing guard over rolling waves of grain
or maybe following the tracks of the train
time spent explorin' and climbin'
high in leafy trees
to be lazy and daydream in the cool breeze
with a cold soda pop and my Hardy Boys book
tangled hair, dirty knees, carefree, and barefoot
remember how our imaginations flew tied to the tails of homemade kites
up into the floatin' clouds
as we sat in sweet patches of green looking for four leaf clovers
or blowing dandelion fuzz and watching it fly
oh how i long for those lazy days
we shared once upon a time
you and I
jumpin' fences
skippin' rocks
climbin' high in fragrant hay lofts
or in winter sledding a snow covered hill
then making snow ice cream and eating our fill
or pretendin' to drive
to far away places
with straw in our hair
and grins on our faces
fingers stained by forest berries there for the pickin'
but home just in time for mama's good cookin'
how i long for the simpler days of my youth
skipping school with no good excuse
to straddle a fence and scare the cows with a shriek
wade barefoot over slippery stones in a cold creek
I miss hanging fresh washed sheets out back on the line
as morning fog swirls
and birds sing in the pines
I wouldn't even mind snapping fresh green beans
or two bushels of corn to husk
out on the back stoop waitin' for dusk
so we could catch lightening bugs in mason jars
chasin' wild and free through crisp leaves in the yard
how i sometimes wish things had stayed
that none of us had grown and strayed
from our little fort of wood scraps, feathers, and dreams
built at the edge of the piney woods
way back just yesterday
when we could pretend it a castle and us its make believe kings and queens
back when life was simpler.
Close your eyes
Do you remember?
March 2017
(Listen to audio reading) https://youtu.be/c02gp2UKuHM
