As boys, in my time, we had no real controls other than the unwritten rules established by a small farming community in which our families lived. They were honesty, respect, dignity, fun, adventure and... Work.


An Autunm Memory

On this dull chill and rainy day
When fall is roughly pushing towards
It's final flurry of clouds and grey
I recall a walk and its rewards

The street reduces from road to path
And begins meandering through the fields
A norther blows between the laths
That form the corn cribs drying yields

We glean the corn like hunting hounds
The ears missed by the farmer's reaper
Hand shucked kernels sold to be ground
For pennies a pound by a kindly miller

As boys we were left largely on our own
Pocket money was a rare tough trick
Hard shucked corn for the miller's stone
Produced quick cash for The latest comic



Poetry by josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 725 times
Written on 2015-10-31 at 21:52

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text



Beautiful!
2015-11-03


Jamsbo Rockda The PoetBay support member heart!
I always wondered if it was something to do with humans and memory that made reminiscences nice places to wander back to. Something evolutionary that helps us deal with today. And everyone has their stories of a hard but fun past life. But this one was a wonderfully interesting one.
2015-11-03


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
I'm not going to join the chorus singing "things were better and simpler when I was young" because, in my case, at least, they weren't. I did like the poem, though. I liked its gentle, casual rhymes.
2015-11-01


Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
Times were simpler and the value were better, I have my own memories of picking flowers to sell on the wall - we ran wild on the farm, but not bad wild - I think it is part of why I have never been a conformist my entire life - We were lucky :-)

Elle x
2015-11-01


countryfog
A wonderful memory Joe, a way of life I have no doubt had much and most to do with who you were then and have become. Those pennies and the earning of them were priceless. I find autumn a season of reverie too, though mine are rather more somber though I am no less grateful for them than you are yours.
2015-11-01



You make me believe that the old times were indeed better times. Where did we go wrong?? I enjoyed reading and seeing the imagery you conjured. Beautiful!
2015-11-01



Such a beautiful trip thro your boyhood and I truly admire the values that were held so dear at that time.
Some could learn a lot from this work:)
2015-10-31