Today is Five-Minute Friday. Five minutes to write - no time to edit, no time to think, no time to plan. Just. Write. The prompt is TEN. Go....
When I was ten, I thought fairy godmothers were real,
I thought little girls could become princesses as long as they were home before midnight.
I thought happily ever after was a place, just beyond the orange-slurpee sunset
I thought leprechauns danced on pots of gold
And rainbows were bridges to heaven
When I was ten, I thought tornadoes picked up houses and carried them to magical places
With yellow-brick roads, and talking scarecrows
And flying monkeys
And witches that melted like brown sugar
When I was ten, I believed in Tinkerbell and the Magic Kingdom.
I watched Mutual of Omaha and Doctor Welby, MD
And Ed Sullivan's Variety Show.
I watched newsreels of an undeclared war in a far-away place
I saw an American flag planted on the moon by men in marshmallow spacesuits
And I heard gunshots fired at night and heard the news of gas stations burning
To protest busing and segregation and inequality
Dr. King died when I was ten.
When I was ten, I played outside until dark
Kick the can, Flashlight Tag, Capture the Flag,
Sometimes I just walked the trails of a nearby woods,
And thought about the people who lived before
All the houses and roads and factories and schools
I made myself a bow and arrows and played pretend
When I was ten, I swam like a dolphin
Like a butterfly
I competed
I won
When I was ten,
My family used to take vacations to visit relatives
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents
On farms far away from the city-suburbs
Even my great-grandparents were alive
When I was ten.
Ten.
What memories!
What lessons!
I still carry that ten-year old
Inside with the starlight, starbright imagination
Inside with happily ever after hope
I still see that ten-year old in the faces of my niece and nephew
In the family resemblance,
In their curiosity
And their joy
I still remember the heartbreak and pride of news
Long gone and still heavy in my heart
When I was ten, I never thought I'd be one of the old people saying When I was...
THIS WAS SUCH A SWEET POST, LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise - Thank you! It was fun to look back. I'm glad you could visit and I am blessed by your encouraging comment.
DeleteJanet, I loved this post as it brought back many fond memories of when I was "ten". So much truly happens in a life time, doesn't it. I am glad we were neighbors this morning as I truly enjoyed going back to the yellow brick road :) Blessings!
ReplyDeleteJoanne - Hi! Oh my goodness does SO much truly happen in a lifetime! I kept thinking of more and more, but five minutes comes up quickly. It was fun to share, and yes, that yellow brick road is quite the journey. Thanks for visiting, I'm glad we were neighbors, too.
DeleteJanet, I really enjoyed your post. It brought back memories for me too. I may be just a few years behind you, but I certainly remember watching Mutual of Omaha and eating dinner with my family. And we caught a few episodes of Marcus Welby, MD. Such memories. Thank you for sharing a bit of your world. I enjoyed getting to know you wee bit. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm stopping by from FMF.
Hi Jeanne, I'm glad you could stop by. Do you remember catching fireflies, and taking a quarter to the 'corner store' for candy (and leaving with a bagful!)? I think we watched Mutual of Omaha, The Wonderful World of Disney, and the Ed Sullivan Show - as a family on Sunday evenings. It's kind of fun to reminisce, isn't it? Thanks for letting me know what you thought - Yes, it's fun getting to know new people! I hope we 'see' each other again soon.
DeleteWhat a lovely reflection of life at age ten! Some of those sweet beliefs were mine too...slurped coca cola slurpees, loved Disney's Cinderella, and had my first crush on the boy who fixed my bike chain after school one day! Thanks for coming by my blog at graceglimmers...😀
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer - Oh! I had a crush a boy, too! I forgot about that until you reminded me... Blessed memories, blessed friendships. I''m glad you could come by and visit - thanks!
DeleteI like your reflecting back on age ten. I'm not that old but I'm not sure I could pick out what happened in life at age ten. Sounds like a lot of innocent bliss and some coming of age at a difficult time
ReplyDeleteJanel, I'm glad you could visit. I just went by your blog (again) and read 'about you'. I'll bet your reflections would be interesting - perhaps a different kind of innocent bliss and definitely challenges in the coming of age. I still feel challenged since I don't quite feel I've completely grown up, yet. How about you? Thanks for your thoughts.
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