MEMORIES OF GROWING UP . . .

A poem from an American viewpoint so there is a lot that doesn’t apply to growing up in Oz but equally there’s also a lot that does. See if it brings back memories of being a kid and days gone by . . .

Kid Stuff

    Brian A. Bendall

    February 2018

Many, many years ago

When I was just a kid,

And I had just began to grow,

There's stuff I had and did.

I'm thinking back on all those things

That life saw fit to give me.

If I can't remember everything,

I hope you will forgive me.

Chocolate candy cigarettes

And big bubble gum cigars.

Mini Bricks and Red Ball Jets,

Hopscotch and Dinky cars.

Mercurochrome and iodine;

Band-aids in a can.

Your watch required a daily wind,

And Etch-A-Sketch was grand.

In school, the teacher had to see

Just what you had to do.

You held one finger up for pee;

You held up two for poo!

Marbles, Slinkys, Lincoln Logs,

Ker Plunk and Pick Up Sticks,

With Yo-yos, you could "walk the dog,"

And ice cream came in bricks.

Arrows all had suction cups

And guns had rolls of caps.

Paddle Balls and Tonka Trucks

Big red lips were wax.

Bumps on heads, being black and blue,

Was minor when compared to

Being sick with cold or flu!

Have fun? You're not prepared to!

Measles, mumps, and chicken pox

Always seemed to flare.

They opened up Pandora's Box

And caught us unaware!

With medicine and care from mom,

Our time in bed was cut!

But I can't remember anyone

Allergic to a nut!

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys

And also Brothers Grimm.

But Mark Twain was my pride and joy!

I never could resist him!

Hide and seek and tag were there.

New energy we found!

No more teacher scorns to bear

When summer came around.

PF Flyer running shoes,

Steel roller skates had keys.

There were phone booths we could use

If there's emergencies.

Rolling down a grassy hill

In parks was a delight.

Nicky Nine Doors was a thrill,

But only played at night!

We rode our bikes with playing cards

Flapping on our spokes.

We played in all our friends' backyards

And told our "Knock Knock" jokes.

Climbing fences, climbing trees

Were common things to do.

Getting bruised or skinning knees?

That was nothing new!

Two wheel scooters, kiddy cars,

We had Soap Box Rallies.

Baseball teams and monkey bars

And close by bowling alleys.

In winter, there were snowball fights

And snow forts for protection.

And when a bitter wind would bite,

Few kids raised objection!

Speeding down a snowy slope

On sleds and blown up tires.

"Is it too steep?" We all said, "Nope!"

We wanted to go higher!

In our teens were Levi jeans,

Duck and pony tails.

Sock hops were a common scene

Where dancing would prevail.

Bobby socks and poodle skirts

And continental slacks.

White buck shoes and fancy shirts,

Guitars and wailing sax!

Computers? What on Earth were they?!

Well, they would show up later.

And none I knew could dare display

Cell phones or calculators!

Many things I've mentioned here

Are still with us today.

But lots of kids, it does appear,

Ignore this great buffet!

What happened to the world I knew?

Have kids today stopped growing?

If time machines were really true,

I know where I'd be going!

Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff

Are nothing now but jokes.

But maybe I have said enough,

So I'll say, "That's all folks!"