How many times have you heard
the way it was in the good old days...
my grandfather sat in his rocking chair
talking about days that were not so gay...
I as a child sat quietly by
listening carefully as the lights were dim...
he started talking about the depression
when things were really slim...
some folks didn't have food
thats why they were so trim...
he told of friends so sad and full of despair
they were down to their last dime...
up went violence, he said matter of fact
the years were bad and full of crime...
standing in front of the cold fireplace
huddling together to keep warm...
wearing hand me downs
everything they had was torn...
he said families were very close
they stuck together through it all...
there was no fighting among these folks
they never ended up at a stonewall...
the harmony they had
they were happy and gay...
they didn't care that they were poor
or at least they what they say...
they had no electric, no gas for the stove
no shoes for Jack, no milk for Jill...
so after grandfather fell asleep
I knew why we moved to Granny's hill...
up there, we had plenty of food to eat
feedsacks sewn into clothes to wear...
things looked good during those days
we'd walk in the woods and sometimes see bear...
we seemed to forget the hard times
for the love was there and all was fair...
back to the city the family went
sharing and caring with lots of dreams...
the future looked good
with rainbows and moonbeams...
my father would walk to the corner with me
telling me of his love and tightly holding my hand...
off to work he would go
bringing me a bucket and shovel to play in the sand...
I remember the last Christmas we had
the toys and dolls for my brother and me...
it was such a happy day for the family
we laughed and played so merrily...
mother in the kitchen making cookies and cake
told us how santa had eaten them all...
junior outdoors on his new scooter
riding along without a fall...
daddy in the living room
playing checkers with me and I won...
yes...those were the good old days
I can look back and see it all...
what I do is close my eyes
dreaming of the good times with total recall.

~ Anne-Marie Hodgeson ~