A Polaroid Memory

 

Drawing inspiration from this type of creative photography, I have chosen to write about my memories of you (completed from an earlier post, Sept.27, 2012).

Childhood memories sparkle like a kaleidoscope.
Uneven fragments, glimpses of days gone by
Born in the 1950s and raised in a small hometown
An Oklahoman ‘oil boom’ town
With WPA sidewalk sales and downtown stores
The Barrett Clan shared childhood years
And we all never wanted to grow up . .

I remember —
One day, the sky was a beautiful blue with summer cumulus clouds
I was alone and probably about five years old,
Standing in the driveway
I looked up to the sky
I saw a hawk or eagle fly overhead
Such a “giant” bird as this could swoop down
And carry me away . .

I remember —
My grandma Ford,
who kept peppermint candies
in her apron pocket
handed us one
when no one was looking!

Baking sugar cookies with Katy and I
rolling out the dough
and getting flour over everything in sight!

My grandmother playing outside with us
underneath the morning glory vines
looking up through the apple tree leaves
at the summer’s blue sky!

I remember —
playing hide-n-seek, chase, tag
kick the can and red-rover red-rover
jump rope and hopscotch underneath the carport
tennis at the high school court
backyard basketball & front yard football
school, jacks & rubber band gun wars
indian, and cowboys, and hanging jail thieves
And Annie over with the boys!

I remember —
Maudie and Grandma Fuquay giving us girls

all different kinds of things from their kitchens —

pots, pans, skillets & muffin pans
spoons, scoops, and rolling pins
buckets for our water
red beans, pinto beans, black eye peas
rice, spaghetti, and for our pie ingredients.

We could take them outside in jars
making a thousand trips
And then Cindy, Katy, and I cooked up a storm
mixing and making up our wonderful mud pies

with clover flowers and roses from the gardens
and then cooking them by
baking them in the sun on our concrete cellar!