Between five and six

In the summer of 1966 the sun
would bake the sweat and grime
into the innocent creases of elbows,
our delicate knees red and pebble indented.
The tickle of tender sun-kissed foliage
against my forearm and our backs
learned of the earthy smell
of hard labor under a July sun.

Our tiny fingers learned the prickly
skins of pimpled cucumber patches
smooth and mean the green cylinders
dusted and spines removed
before placing into bushel baskets,
that would line every inch
of a flat bed Ford before our day
was done.

We would climb high upon and sit
on the tops to keep them from tumbling
out the back or off the sides.

There were no child labor laws or
                                           seat belts to keep the chiggers
                            off our tender stalks.

I knew the Earth then,

considerably better than I do now

 knew the
early morning dew of it,
how it smells after the rain
or how the wind smells when
a storm is coming, and
and the dust of it
knew me,

 it knew my eyes
and my ears,
it knew the grit of it
on my teeth, and
in my hair.

Knew my childhood friends
were the wiggles of caterpillars
trapped between my fingers.

I knew the smell of factory haze

and warm Dill
in the sunburned chill of early
evening,

This is how I became acquainted with
the love of the five p.m. slant
of the weary sun at quitting time
and bubble baths, baby-doll pajamas
and the cool cotton swell of my pillow
after an honest hard day's work.

It didn't kill me,

so I therefore

 must be 

stronger now.

Reviews

[Krizito]

It didn't kill me,
so I therefore
must be
stronger now

nothing beats a good poem; but when it packs a punch of an ending like yours - then it's better.
when I was little *i would've said 'boy's, but then I'm not that old * a bunch of us would sprint outside when the rain was falling, and we'll dance without clothes or slippers - slip-on, sandals - on our feet. we'll roll in the dirt know our Sunday wear, and have our older siblings chase us all over the street and into the neighbors' homes.
you've got good imagery, and that left me thinking, reminiscing. and I think more poetry need to concern with this. yes, the world is a mess, and we're a worse-er mess; but there are the beautiful and silly, stupid parts of this life also. I choose to celebrate that....
and it won't kill me, but I will become stronger for it 😁😊😇

[Corset]

Thank you Krizito, I am so happy that this write brought back fond memories of your boyhood, which sounded very fun, thank you for sharing your happy memories with me!

[Krizito]

always a pleasure

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

As we grow older those sweet memories of our youth make the her and now seem like a foreign land because time changes the world and us.

What a beautiful trip you took down memory lane.

[Corset]

Hi R&R! Thank you and I agree it's difficult now to even get a child to take out the garbage or vacumm a carpet without grumbles and complaints, it's so different know and it makes me want to say "why, when I was young we had to walk to school uphill barefoot on a gravel road" etc.. it's crazy!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

times were different then...as kids we were always playing in the streets, or in the pastures in Vermont...or riding our bikes by the creeks...outside was heaven, inside was torture...
and we shared sodas...we dropped a piece of candy on the floor and went by the five second rule...and damn...we survived...part of me would love to go back to those times...the future looks far from that past---but we can never really go back, can we?
j.

[Corset]

lol, Jacob what a sweet review, for us it was a 10 second rule lol, it is so difficult for children now to appreciate all that they have when we had so little back then and was so grateful for the little things, kids raised in sunshine and sports and good hard work seems so far away indeed from how we were raised. I knew the back end of a strap when I miss behaved, we didn't have CPS on autodial! I think the boredom is leading to depression in our kids today.

[Crowley]

This is the best kind of nostalgia. For me it was bucking bales, detasseling corn, picking apples, or peaches or strawberries, whatever the fruit of the day was. Then smelling the canning process. You hit on every good feeling about growing up next to the earth and the quality of light at the end of the day. Great write.

[Corset]

lol, you reminf me of a friend I called Nashy, yes, I bucked a few 50 lbs haybales myself up onto a wagon pulled by a tractor, topped tobacco, picked cherries, apples and a few peaches in my day as well :D Thank you for this delightful review!

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

waking to the smell of coffee milk at 6 am to learn that Pawpaw had been out in the fields since 4...not wanting to miss the tractor driving or the rolly polly collecting of the day...chomping down our breakfast without a thought and barely getting our tennies on before we were out the door running ...mmmm memories!

[Corset]

omg yes we were eager to follow them around like puppies! Even if it meant getting blisters and sweaty, our bodies and minds were engaged in learning about the world outside, can't seem to drag the kids out now!

[charlie]

Splendid story telling in this ageless gem. I say ageless because it feels like you captured the germ of grass-roots life and it doesn't age.
Every soul deserves itself a little dust somewhere along the line...
Nice write!

[Corset]

Charlie, thank you so much! I'm shocked the positive response has been to this write! It seems it has triggered a most wonderful response in the memories banks of so many wonderful stories!

[charlie]

You captured the marrow, the memories, and applied a personal touch in a beautiful blend of language and feeling. The modern pastoral that resonates.

[Lyn Anderson]

Farm kids live a different life. They work hard at an early age and grow up quickly, but in other ways, they are allowed to be kids, connected to the land in a way others are not. It is a double edged sword you describe beautifully here.

[Corset]

it was hard, but when I look back I realize how wonderful the experience has been, and I can only think of how much I miss it.

[Jon Roggie]

If nothing else,
you learned.
Mom has the scars from picking cotton.

Niece's classmates say it is illegal to have someone pick cotton.

We switched schools.

[Corset]

oh yes, we learned and often the hard way :D Did she really? lol, That's funny, the other day some children were loitering on the steps with nothing to do it seems, one of them told the other that she had to do something I didn't quite hear what it was, and the other one says "this is America I don't have to do anything I don't want to do!" and I remember thinking boy are you in for a rude awakening in about 5 years!

[Jon Roggie]

I often feel like the old-timers talking about how bad things were when they were kids. I try to at least have some fun with the stories!

[Corset]

I just kept walking lol, it seemed pointless to try to explain

[Kelly Scheppers]

"Knew my childhood friends
were the wiggles of caterpillars
trapped between my fingers."

I believe you and I could have been best friends! I love this - every line of it resonates with the little girl in me that became a woman.

[Corset]

Aw, what a sweetheart thing to say Kelly! I'm so happy this resonated with you! I'm frankly shocked at the response, I thought for sure it would be a yawner! So glad to have you stop in and Thank you!

[Kelly Scheppers]

It's a beautiful read!