The Trilogy of Life (the early years)

Born to the sounds

Of big band music

In a period of old time values

Where children were seen

But never heard

Dinner at five sharp

No elbows on the table

Evenings with the aroma

From Erinmore pipe smoke

Gathered around the Telefunken radio

Our pipeline to the world

 

Brand new Converse high tops

For the first day of school

Winter brought rubber boots lined with newspaper

Handmade wooly socks

Freedom was the old two wheel Schwin

Passed down a time or two

Rambling far and wide

Scraped knees and elbows

Games fueled by imagination

Bottles of soda guzzled

Frantic sprints

Escaping from Freemans Orchard

Stolen bounty cradled in arms

Spurred on by the shouts

Of the indignant owner

 

Teen years and the wonder

Of cars and girls

Life lessons learned along the way

Pumping gas at the Shell Station

Seventy five cents an hour

Twenty five dollars bought

The 46 Fargo pick up

I had longed for these many months

To cruise Main street

In a fog of oil smoke

Squealing belts and rust

With not a clue or care

What tomorrow would bring

Just youthful optimism

That all would be well