A DIFFERENT RIDE

Missing the simple things...wishing to go back.

A DIFFERENT RIDE

Some things are never quite the same,

Like I remember when.

In simpler times and hop scotch days,

We'd sit there on a limb.

The air was filled with sounds of kids,

And laughter in the street...

Where we would gather there to play

With friends we'd come to meet.

We'd clip some cards to bike spoke wheels

To sound like motored rides,

And furry friends ran right along

While barking by our side.

The girls would gather at my house

To jump rope two by two...

When we got tired we'd stop to play

Monopoly and Clue.

Mom always fixed some lemonade,

It really hit the spot!

And 'fore the dark we went outside

To that big vacant lot.

 The crack of baseballs hitting bats

 Filled up the summer noon.

Then...runs and calls and slips and falls

Were heard 'till rise of moon.

Today things are much different and

It's quiet...one by one.

Computer screens light up the room

Beneath the setting sun.

I miss the simple things like joy

And friends here by my side.

I'd like to turn my ticket in...

And take a different ride.

**********

Reviews

[Lorry]

Ahh, the sound of spokie dokies and the bewilderment of hopscotch, as boys gather and pause, at a safe distance, as those curious girls drew hieroglyphs in chalk and jumped and hopped on them like they knew what they were doing. I almost asked once, but ran away in fear that I'd be sacrificed to God of confusing symbols.
Of course, silence does fill the air for more than one reason today, but I too remember activity being outdoors, involving laughing and giggles and you could play milti-player games without needing an 18 digit WiFi code (back to the hieroglyphs again.)
Out at first light, back for dinner and how my parents were glad of their own piece of heaven, silence.
If only we knew what those walkie-talkie we got for Christmas one year would lead to, eh?
A pocket radio was the height of technology back then, but even then we were complaining of battery life, so maybe things haven't changed that much 😊

[Miss Sharon]

LOL Thank you my friend for your wonderful review. ~Sharon

[wordman]

lol,i have lost a lot of good cards ,shooting marbles in the road

[Miss Sharon]

Thanks Ron for your kind review of this one! ~Sharon

[wordman]

you`re welcome

[Betty Hermelee]

I don’t blame you! I’ll take a different ride anytime. I used to take my doll carriage out alone on NYC Streets when I was eight...so much fun, not anymore, I’ll take ride. Back to the good ole days when you could play outside with friends....not anymore, it’s solitude now, darker days, but hope brings forth a smile.
Lovely write! Fondly, Betty

[Miss Sharon]

Thanks so much Betty for a very kind review of this write! ~Sharon

[Betty Hermelee]

of course! , let's be friends!!!

[Miss Sharon]

Well of course we ARE friends! ~Sharon

[Lydia Shutter]

So well said, Sharon. I remember the childhood you described here so well. Before electronics and when neighborhood children were all friends. Parents would discipline anyone they saw misbehaving and there were no secrets. Your parents always found out. The good ole bad ole days. Of course, they were not perfect, but they were ours and they were wonderful. I enjoyed this look back. Lydi**

[Miss Sharon]

Thanks so much my dear friend for your very lovely review of this write It IS nice to look back every now and again isn't it? ~Sharon

[Gee]

No skipping ropes in the UK, that was an American thing, but the rest is so relatable. Kids today wear designer clothes and a prison pallor, seem to be anti all things exercise and when allowed out to party start at the hour that I used to finish at.
A delightful read that brought back many a memory, thank you.

[Miss Sharon]

Thanks so much my friend for a very nice review of this write. I am glad that you enjoyed this one. ~Sharon

[Einstein Noodle]

spot on, Miss Sharon .. spot on and well said .. tight rhymes and rhythm start to finish .. theme held true throughout and every image brought to view is one i relate to. the social commentary is gentle but sharp in its contrast. We had to be home for supper and after that .. when the street lights came on .. vacant lots were the places of high adventure .. imagination the only ceiling ..well done .. a delight to read and re-experience all those old times
E.

[Miss Sharon]

Thank you so much for a wonderful review and for "going back in time" with me for a bit! I appreciate you my friend. ~Sharon

[Einstein Noodle]

same here Sharon .. peace and joy!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I miss those things and days as well. We couldn't stay out long enough to play....and yes, we put the baseball cards in the spokes, the ones of the bad players for which we had about 10 cards of.
And playing Clue, never got tired of Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlett, the wrench, the rope, the conservatory, the library....I actually liked skipping rope as well, and the challenge of two ropes going at the same time.
Ah, you brought me back.
j.

[Miss Sharon]

Ah Jacob...I can always count on you for a beautiful and complimentary review. Thanks so much my friend....and I too remember having two ropes going at a time for the rope-jumping! ~Sharon

[John the Baptist]

It's difficult not to compare the lot of today's youth with that of earlier times. I distinctly recall many of the things mentioned in these lines; had forgotten the cards in the bicycle spokes. Today's kids do have many advantages, though some, like the omnipresence of computers, may be double edged swords.

[Miss Sharon]

Thank you so much my friend for a beautiful review of this write. You are appreciated! ~Sharon