Once upon a time,
This house was a home,
Full of love and laughter,
But now the sounds are gone.

Yes many years have passed,
Since children ran in play,
Family gathered 'round,
The Bible to read and pray.

The days went by quickly,
Seems the years just flew,
Since Mom and Dad were here,
We kids were small too.

Games of hopscotch and marbles,
Picking peanuts to boil,
Quilting bees and corn shucking,
A life of stress and toil.

Spinning tops and chase,
Tag and hide and seek,
Leisure time though rare,
We'd head to the creek.

Once upon a time,
Many long years ago,
This old house was loved,
And family ties would grow.

Work in the cotton fields,
Planting, hoeing and pickin',
Shaking and stacking peanuts,
The harvest was ready for reapin'.

Sun up till sun down daily,
No stopping for a day or two,
You had to keep on working,
In the hot sun or heavy dew.

Dinner time was welcomed,
Our meal in the middle of the day,
Just plain ole country folks,
Living a sharecropper's way.

Hardly any extra was there,
Lucky to make it year to year,
Yet happiness filled this house,
With a love, precious and dear.

Jesus was our overseer,
On Him we always depended,
He saw our needs were met,
Thankful nightly prayers ascended.

I like to go back in time,
And visit the yesteryear,
To be a little kid again,
Feel the love and laughter hear.

The memories of the home place,
Bear heavily on my mind,
I often retreat into the past,
Where the world seems more kind.

©Gayle Davis
03 November 2008
E-mail
Website