Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Days of Old

Today's a full day of homework again, part of which involves writing a lesson about poetry. While this has nothing to do with my actual homework, it's one of my favorite poems, and I thought I'd share.  It's an alphabet poem, so each line has to start with the letter of the alphabet and each successive line adds another word as it moves through the alphabet. So while the first line, A, has one word, the lasting line, starting with Z, has 26 words. It's a fun type of poetry.



The Days of Old

A
Big trolley
Coming clickety clackety
Down the tracks, picking
Everyone up and taking them
For a quick ride to the
Greatest place on earth, a small, quiet
Haven where time is simpler and less complicated.
I step off the trolley, my skirts swishing gently,
Just ready to start the day. Carrying water for the
Kitchens, so we have cold water to drink and a yummy
Lunch to look forward to, cooked carefully over an open fire. Once
My chores are done, it’s off to the barn working the lathe, making
New chair legs with spirals and grooves, demonstrating the craft that Ron, my dear
Old friend, taught me. Kids come and turn the wheel, going fast and showing off,
Pulling the handle towards them, then pushing it away until their arms tire, and they stop
Quietly admitting defeat and allowing the next in line their turn. Once my power stops, I sit
Resting in the shade of the barn, drinking iced tea and talking to Ron, until kids line up,
Sweetly asking me to help them make rope. I thread the rope through and hold the end while
they
Turn the handle and watch their very own jump rope being made. When it’s tight, I cut the
rope, tie
Up loose ends and give it to the beaming child before moving on to the next child, the bright
sun shining
Very warm on my face and an unexplainable feeling of pride in my heart. After supper and
when the sky grows dark
We all gather around the fire in front of the cabin, sitting on rough wooden benches or on the
cool ground, under the
Xanthic leaves and listening to the sounds of dulcimers, fiddles, guitars and spoons making
music. Sometimes, they play fast songs, getting the teenagers dancing,
Yelling, laughing and having a wonderful time, till we all collapse on the ground and hear
ballads of a soldier, amazed at how the day
Zipped by and how we never want this moment to end, surrounded by our friends, and
untouched by the world we know, basking in the moment.


Love to all my family at Threshers - I miss you!

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