Home   Home

ALONG THE WAY

by Charles E Minshall

These are some things
I'd like to confide,
Things I remember
From our down hill slide,

There was hide and go seek
And kick the can,
Domino cigarettes
And Twenty Grand.

The candy counter
in the corner store,
Lucky Strike green
Has gone to war.

Smitty mufflers
throbbing roar,
And tickets that said
They'll roar no more.

"A" winshield stickers,
Gas rationing books,
Those meatless days
For frusrated cooks.

The great sounds
Of June Christy, Anita O'Day,
 Unique Peggy Lee,
And Ella Mae.

Benny Goodman, Basie
And Will Bradleys band,
James, Dorsey, and Miller,
The best in the land.

Who could forget
The music we heard,
From Freddie Slack, Kenton,
And Hermans Herd?

The jitterbug dancing
To swing bands on stage,
When dancing to swing
Was a popular rage.

World war two,
Korea, and Vietnam,
And just recently
The mad man Saddam.

The "Berlin airlift,"
The Berlin Wall,"
The "Iron Curtain,"
And Russias fall.

Nine eleven
When the towers fell,
An act comitted
By the scum from hell.

We passed them all
On our down hill slide.
A gold medal performance
A hell of a ride.

 

11/09/2008

Posted on 11/10/2008
Copyright © 2024 Charles E Minshall

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 11/10/08 at 07:50 AM

Terrific Charlie! Just really finely crafted, and a delight to read. At 51 I am "on-the-cusp" of much of it...greatest generation? I won't be that judge, but yes indeed...one helluva ride; an E-ticket actually. Votin' potd over here. Thanks.

Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 11/10/08 at 03:56 PM

Fun to read the names and feel the swing to this - good memories and sad. Thanks, Charlie!

Posted by Charlie Morgan on 11/10/08 at 04:30 PM

...bowing to you Mr. Wordmeister...a beautiful flow to this and ne'er forced... ;-)

Posted by George Hoerner on 11/11/08 at 12:44 AM

Nice write sir. I'll be going to the storage area next month and bringing back with me the 4 or 5 June Christy records. I may be the only one who remembers to play records and actually listen to them rather than use them as background noise.

Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 11/11/08 at 07:25 PM

Wow! A lot of history poetically declared! You reminded me of some things I've not thought of in a long, long time! Definitely a most pleasant trip down memories lane.

Posted by Sandy M. Humphrey on 11/11/08 at 08:15 PM

Wow, how you packed so much history into this and kept is concise I may have become a history buff. Great write. smh

Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 11/11/08 at 08:45 PM

Wonderful write and read Charlie. I'll have to print this out for my father, as he grew up with and is a big fan of Swing, and a result I kinda grew up with it too.

Posted by Wendy Sparling on 11/12/08 at 04:25 PM

Thanks for this wonderfully crafted poem, Charlie. Of course you know I am way too young to remember most of these times, eh. My pick for POTD today.

Posted by Colleen Sperry on 11/13/08 at 03:33 AM

what a journey you took me on with this poem.. thank you!

Posted by Glenn Currier on 11/13/08 at 05:10 PM

Oh, man, did you elicit a BUNCH of emotions. I am glad you include your photo in your home page - it hints of our being in a similar "age cohort" - but your poem confirms it. Especially evocative are the band leaders (I am named after Glenn Miller). Chaz, you more than anyone I know, are a master of rhyme. It is such a delight to read your poetry, but this one in particular pulls at my heart strings and definately goes into my favorites. Thanks for your poem and for sharing your beautiful gift, my friend.

Posted by Meghan Helmich on 11/14/08 at 06:42 PM

wonderful rhythm, charlie. and a trip down memory lane - even though most of them were before my time or at least of a time when i was too small to remember them. i can appreciate them now, that's for sure! great poem.

Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 10/12/10 at 08:50 PM

Reading this again I believe the symbolism of the "down hill slide" most appropriate!

Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 12/26/13 at 04:14 PM

Read in memory of a very humorous poet and friend. I will always remember his friendliness and his quick wit!

Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 01/05/14 at 10:37 PM

Reading again in memory of you, Charles, who was one of my poet friends here at Pathetic. RIP

Posted by Clara Mae Gregory on 05/20/14 at 07:17 PM

miss you

Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 11/27/20 at 01:57 PM

Congrats on POTD Charles. As with other long term members, miss your wit and humor. RIP

Return to the Previous Page
 

pathetic.org Version 7.3.2 May 2004 Terms and Conditions of Use 0 member(s) and 2 visitor(s) online
All works Copyright © 2024 their respective authors. Page Generated In 0 Second(s)