Welcome blessed child
May you taste world’s endless gifts—
Vision awakens
Eyes find breath of peace
Embracing each precious day—
Experience counts
Remembering youth
Innocent times of learning—
Treasures of friendship
Running a quick errand for mother
Feeling twenty-five cents in my hand
Heading to the nearby little store
Milk, bread—let’s see what candy looks grand
Years ago, two bits meant feeling rich
A few coins equal twenty-five cents
Today, this sweet tooth will be in luck
Let this candy shopping now commence
Below the front counter, treasures wait
Friendly woman cashier stands and smiles
A few pennies for Sweet Tarts and more
Licorice, Smarties add to the pile
Looking to spend one final nickel
Picking through endless, tempting choices
Spying at last, a sweet Hershey bar
Overcome by sugar-filled voices
Arriving back home without delay
Pockets filled with sweetest treasure
Mother asks about the milk and bread
Two bucks unspent, plus her displeasure
Growing up in my childhood neighborhood, there was a little store just a few blocks away. My brothers and I made many a journey to the store for milk, bread, and other quick-to-find essentials for our mother. I cannot recall forgetting the milk and bread, but having a few coins in my pocket was treasure waiting to be spent on the candy found there.
The poem lists a few of the types of candy found back in the 1960s. Do you have a favorite candy from your childhood?
Originally published July, 2020.
A child is . . . such a knot of little purposeful nature!
Mind is a most delicate evidence. Not a soul has seen it yet.
Richard Eberhart (1904-2005) was an American poet who published more than two dozen books of poetry.
Going my own way
Choosing forgotten shortcut—
Hi orange barrels
Kitchen remodeled
Finest cuisine’s postponement—
Searching for new chef
Tricycle’s flight plan
Set to take-off from driveway—
Grounded by mother
All images courtesy of Pinterest.
College basketball star and high school majorette
Growing up under Montana’s brilliant Big Sky
Destined to raise this band of brothers as their sons
Rearing five boys, better than any Fourth of July
Household of boys born over a span of twelve years
Perhaps their father dreams of a basketball team
While their mother nurtures with love and care
Quintet of brothers’ thoughts filling with biggest dreams
Brothers grow up, facing life’s many challenges
Inspired by a father with amazing courage
Battling back from near-fatal car crash in his youth
His steadfast work ethic always encourages
These driven brothers discover their niche at school
Excelling with their academics in the classroom
Competition fuels a welcome outlet through sports
Lives mature too quickly, future destinies zoom
This family story would never be complete
The boys’ mother remembers God’s lovely bouquet
These five brothers always cherish their one sister
Believe it or not, she’s born on Valentine’s Day
This poem gives you a quick glimpse into my childhood family. Growing up under Montana’s Big Sky was a blessing for my brothers and sister. The memories will last a lifetime.
Originally published July, 2020.
Another school day, found in learning’s shrine
Thoughts seeking adventure’s breath of escape
Youth deserves to fill tomorrow’s headlines
Endless visions gathered, flight plan takes shape
Looking up into heavens’ blackened sky
Seeking to travel amongst brightest stars
Dreaming of final frontier, flying high
Searching incessant mysteries afar
Piloting starship of latest design
Fascinating discoveries in view
Transforming as universe redefines
Unlocking galaxy’s intimate clues
Departing from mankind’s earthly cocoon
Reading Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon”
This poem has been crafted as a sonnet: Note the four stanzas filled out with 14 lines, each line contains a total of 10 syllables, and the consistent rhyming pattern connects every other line in each stanza. It is doubtful that William Shakespeare ever considered designing a sonnet around this theme. Renowned French writer Jules Verne published one of literature’s earliest science-fiction novels, From the Earth to the Moon, in 1865.
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
One forgets so quickly one’s own youth.
Graham Greene (1904-1991) was an English writer and journalist. He has been regarded as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.
Delight and liberty, the simple creed of childhood.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was an English poet. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, they both helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature.
Sleeping beneath midnight stars
Dreaming of faraway lands
Tracing desktop’s spinning globe
Traveling with comfort’s hands
Searching for bold adventures
Filling imagination
Revolving world comes to rest
Discovering location
Boarding fastest clipper ship
Setting sail, freedom ahead
Lighting up destiny’s route
Leaving comfortable bed
Traversing treacherous seas
Sailing toward setting sun
Scanning distant horizon
Anticipating more fun
Pulsating alarm intrudes
Crashing through innocent dreams
Waking for Monday’s school day
Leaving journey in midstream
Little Johnny hurried down the sidewalk. Catching his breath upon reaching his school bus stop, he waited and waited.
Soon his fate began sinking in. He had missed the bus . . . again!
The warm and sunny morning invited him to walk across the street to a park. Curious and feeling playful, he explored and enjoyed some spontaneous fun. Readin’ and writin’ and rithmetic could wait a spell.
Minutes turned into a couple of hours. Feeling hungry, Johnny discovered a perfect hideout under a nearby pine tree. He pulled out his brown bag lunch.
Following a quick lunch, he felt a bit sleepy. Fresh air, plenty of exercise, and a filling lunch made him drowsy. Curling up under the tree, Johnny was soon snoozing on a bed of soft needles.
Stirring awake, the noise of his rickety school bus shuttling down the street reminded him that school was over for another day.
Upon reaching his house, Johnny’s loving mother met him at the door. Her stern-looking frown told him to watch out . . . caught again!
Originally published March, 2021.
Big Sky Buckeye 