Looking back at yesteryear, I wonder
Strange the memories and their plunder;
Remembering times (not so long ago)
When things were different from the days we know.
There was a time-tis true my dear-
When the television shows had plots
And the characters had adventures
That could tie you up in knots.
Even though it was quite clear
That the backdrop was painted canvas
And the car/horse/space ship
Was mounted on a cradle, and the scenery
Literally rolled on by.
There was a time when fireplaces were real
You could even cook a meal
Around the same blaze that warmed one side
While the other froze.
But nothing tastes so good
As the memories of apples
Warmed upon the hearth
Beans heated in a tin frying pan
With fresh uncured bacon sizzling on the side.
Marshmallows toasted on a hickory stick,
Popcorn shaken in a lidded frying pan
Nuts from trees growing just outside,
And cider mulled with a dash of cinnamon.
School buses were a place to talk
A place to sing and visit
With friends from other classes
Wending homeward.
School was a safe place to be,
And children were good-
Or else they got “it” when they got home,
Twice as bad as they got at school.
Were there bad things?
To be sure.
Getting up before daylight in a freezing room,
To shiver through a bath
In front of the fire.
Wearing clothes that started out way too big
Till they became shabby and way too small.
There were grown-up voices
That talked of grave things;
But none of these things
Touch the memories
The memories of television with a plot
Food that tasted of hickory smoke,
And the heat that warmed to the center,
Even though you froze on one side.