Monday, May 23, 2022

STUFF I USED TO DO

 


Dear George, 
 I’ve started up again in my OLLI class in Advanced Poetry after a three-month break. This week I’ve written a poem inspired by our growing up on the Menominee River. I’ve enclosed it here with a dedication to my siblings Steven, Peter, and Vicki, with whom I shared these experiences. 
Love, 
Dave


STUFF I USED TO DO 

So many things I did in the past 
Like climb our willow tree to the top 
Cops and robbers, such a blast 
Collect the caps from bottles of pop 

Put a worm upon his hook 
Barefoot races in the snow 
Catch a tadpole in the brook 
Pull a bloodsucker off my toe 

Ride no handsies on my bike 
Find a four-leaf clover in the grass 
Toss a snowball at a girl I like 
Fish the lagoon for perch and bass 

Marbles for keepsies after school 
Trap fireflies in a Mason jar 
Wear an eye patch, that’s so cool 
Search the sky for a shooting star 

Crawl underneath a barbed wire fence 
Carve my initials in a beechwood tree 
Ice cream cones, two dips for five cents 
Take second place in the spelling bee 

Poke a stick into an ant hill 
Find new treasures at the City Dump 
Bumper car driving, such a thrill 
Stand at the pier, hold my nose and jump 

Collect nightcrawlers at the graveyard after dark 
Listen to boxing on the radio 
Pitch my tent at Mason Park 
Shoot some free throws like a pro 

Row to Pig Island in our boat 
Eat wild berries off the forest floor 
Carry a frog in the pocket of my coat 
Read Batman comics at my uncle’s store 

Battle my brothers in an acorn fight 
Skip a stone upon the lake 
Light a campfire in the dark of night 
Lift the rocks, catch a garter snake 

I miss these things from days of old 
Netflix gets boring when all is told

No comments:

Post a Comment