Pythian Games

You Don’t Remember…

Posted in KerryWordsmith, Mnemosyne Stream Memories by kvwordsmith on March 26th, 2008

(to my 30 year old daughter- a memory stream exercise) 

You don’t remember when we used to go to the little park, the stage coach park, the Underdog park, Tower Grove Park, the rocket ship park…You don’t remember the dragonfly that sat on my blouse for 30 minutes while you and your brother played on the swings and jungle gym.

You don’t remember when I brought a bucket of snow upstairs into our apartment so you could color it with food coloring, because there were rusty nails in the city yard we shared and it wasn’t safe to let you play outside.

You don’t remember when we got caught in the rain walking home, you in the stroller and Dave on my back, wearing silly hats we’d just bought at a yard sale.

You don’t remember when we went to the fruit and vegetable market every Sat. and smelled the harvest apples and the spices and the cheese and the live chickens.

You don’t remember when we went to the dairy ice cream parlor for turtle sundaes, rich with hot fudge and caramel and pecans and real vanilla bean ice cream.

You don’t remember when you and your playmates stomped around the kitchen to Disney songs, until the landlord called up and asked if I had a herd of elephants running loose upstairs.

You don’t remember how we made bread from scratch and every day I fed you and your brother and then let you take a “swim” in the kiddie pool on the tiny balcony, so you could get washed off before I put you down for your naps.

You don’t remember how you ruled the roost from your baby bed, waking up, ready for action, saying, “All right, guys…”

You don’t remember how damn hot it was and we didn’t have air conditioning and we could hardly sleep at all.

You don’t remember how poor we were or how depressed I was – I hope.

kvwordsmith (c) 2008

6 Responses to 'You Don’t Remember…'

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  1. Lori said, on March 26th, 2008 at 11:10 pm

    The last line really caught me by surprise. Well, done.

  2. imogen88 said, on March 27th, 2008 at 2:44 am

    Yes, good contrast. Lovely memories.

  3. shewolfy728 said, on March 27th, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Very well done. I like the memories here, Kerry, and the contrast at the end.

  4. woodnymph said, on March 27th, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Lovely memories that only you remember, but your thirty year old daughter wants so much to remember now that she has heard you tell about them.

    Vi

  5. kvwordsmith said, on March 27th, 2008 at 8:46 pm

    My daughter seems to focus in on the bad memories now - but it wasn’t all bad. It was just hard times for everyone.

  6. cronelogical said, on March 28th, 2008 at 7:15 am

    Such a sharing for your daughter and for us. Fran

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