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Open Poetry #47
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The Old Place
| Open Poetry #47 |
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The Old Place |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana 
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 The old place That's what we called it After grandpa and grandma were gone The old place Was a place of great joy to me It was back in the south Arkansas woods Near to where I was raised In a place called Walker Creek We lived about six miles away In a little country town I'd pester my parents To let me ride my Schwinn There and spend the night Maw-Maw let me sleep with her In a feather bed that I'd just lose myself in She made the best cathead biscuits Fried chicken, freshly killed from the yard But to me her pride Was how she made her melt-in-your-mouth teacakes They were hard-working people Sunup until sundown They smoked their meat in an old smokehouse Had a two-mule cane crusher For making syrup All they knew was work Until Sunday rolled around All the girls There were four of them One was my mother Would show up with all their kids And, of all the cooking On that old wood stove You never saw How Maw-Maw could make things turn out so good On that blasted old stove Was a miracle After everyone had been fed A dinner (lunch) fit for anybody King or otherwise Everyone would lounge around On the long front porch of the old log house Until along about four o'clock Would come the making of homemade ice cream (I loved it when they did the fresh-picked peach) The men took turns turning the Ice cream maker's handle So the rock salt and hand-chipped ice Would do their thing And freeze that ice cream We'd eat it and sit around some more Stomach's bulging from the feast And finally everyone would get up and leave I think about the old place A lot these days ~ Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. ~ |
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| © Copyright 2011 Jerry Pat Bolton - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Lori Grosser Rhoden Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202Fair to middlin' of nowhere |
Bless your heart Jerry, reminds me of the farm, and fried chicken dinner and the homemade icecream (fresh peach was my favorite too)My Grandma, Mom and Aunts and the reat of us girls all in the kitchen either cooking or getting under foot. Thanks for taking me back.  Lori |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana |
Appreciate it, Lori. I guess we all have those kind of memories from time to time. ~ Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. ~ |
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ebonygirl Member Elite
since 2011-07-14
Posts 2000California U.S.A |
Such wonderful memories of time with the family. Thank you for sharing your poem. ebonygirl |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana |
Those memories of my grandparents are very real and every good, ebonygirl . The rest of my growing up wasn't such a happy time. Thank you for being here. ~ Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. ~ |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Such wonderful memories, Jerry...I felt like I was right there with you. Thank you. |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana |
Yep. I can remember the good times so vividly I can almost take that fried chicken and tea cakes, and of course, the ice cream. Thanks, Martie. ~ Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. ~ |
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Michael
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666California |
I stand envious, JP. An "old place" complete with maw maw... I have to sift real hard for any pleasant memories considering elders in my family, though I do have a few. Reading this makes it worth the effort. Thank you. |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana |
Thanks, Michael, I don't have many pleasant memories of my youth, but this was one of them. Thank you for stopping by. ~ Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. ~ |
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suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
Are we related? *S* I'll be going by my "old place" this weekend... I hope the memories waiting for me there are the smiling ones like this is! *S* |
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katahdin Senior Member
since 2010-07-01
Posts 1196ME. In the Shadow of the Mt. |
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful memory, enjoyed! Kat >^..^< |
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JerryPat2 Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975South Louisiana |
We very may be related, because you use suthern for your pen name. I sincerely hope you will find the positive vibes at your very own Old Place, as I always get whenever I visit mine. You are very welcome, Kat, and thank you for stopping buy. ~ If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong. ~ |
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