Remember When (#333)

THIS IS THE 333rd POST On my BLOG!!!

I was ten in 1970 and that decade was my formative years.  We lived in that same split-level home until 1980.  To this day, my Dad and Mom still own it and keep it rented.

The 1970’s

A split-level home at the top of the hill, that’s the where,

I was in second or third grade when we moved there,

That’s the when, before the cul-de-sac age,

It was the 1970’s, when bell bottoms were the rage,

A first-class stamp was just 6 cents,

And Richard Milhous Nixon was the President,

I had a pink banana-seated bicycle, a three-speed,

A Trixie Belden mystery was my summer read,

Life was “feeling groovy” and everyone said “right-on”,

Trading with green stamps and talking on a rotary phone,

Mood rings were fashionable, and pet rocks were the perfect pet,

 But the terrifying movie Jaws kept us all from getting wet,

A macramé owl hung on every kitchen wall,

And shag carpet covered the floors and down the hall,

Eight track tapes and vinyl records played the music we heard,

And by carrying our transistor radio, we knew every single word,

“The Bump” was a dance that was easy to do,

And “Laugh-In” was always going to Sock it to you!

The platform shoes were really chunky,

And admittedly, the clothes were a little funky:

A leisure suit, pant suit, jumpsuit, or even a track suit was a hit,

In flamboyant colors, prints, and florals of polyester and double knit,

The 70’s had Vietnam and Watergate, but we were just kids then,

We only remember the Woolworth five and dime, when we remember when.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  7/13/2020

Like a Child Again

I taught YMCA Preschool for 13 years.   (1998-2011)

Green eggs and Ham

Preschool teaching was a chance to think like a child again,

To influence the minds of little ones, as they just begin,

To make them excited about learning,

To encourage them to make friends and be discerning,

To lay the foundation for academic success,

To help them want to do their best,

Preschoolers are like sponges soaking up the world,

Like folded-up flags being unfurled,

They need direction, structure, time and care,

To be heard, to be comforted, and to be self-aware,

To learn to share, to learn to wait,

To learn to trust and communicate,

It was a big responsibility, but a joy in every way,

It was also a privilege that I was thankful for every day,

I was teaching honesty, helpfulness, kindness and cooperation,

Healthy habits, manners, discipline, and determination,

Making it fun for them was a first priority,

Causing smiles and laughter, with authority,

Based on the book by Dr. Seuss, I prepared a dish called “Green Eggs and Ham”,

This special treat was always a surprise for them,

Some students turned up their noses and refused it right away,

Other students were adventurous and tried it without delay,

You may want to try it for yourself someday,

Tammy Harvey   written:  6/24/2020

Smile for Yourself

Smile On

I would love to see your smile,

You’ve been behind that mask now for a while,

The reason you are hiding is quite fair,

We no longer want to breath in the same air,

But don’t let the threat take away your hope,

It’s hard to comprehend and even harder to cope,

The entire world is going through a hardship, for sure,

The reality is that there is no current cure,

We can only be careful, prayerful and informed,

Although some of the warnings have certainly been scorned,

Just don’t stop smiling underneath that mask,

I know that request is a daunting task,

Some day you will give that smile away again,

The timing is uncertain; no one knows when,

It’s a test in perseverance, and a journey we take together,

The storm is definitely raging, but can change just like the weather,

Patience is difficult; that much is clear,

But faith is always so much stronger than fear.

A glimmer of hope can light the darkest night,

We don’t give up now; we must continue to fight,

Keep on smiling underneath that smothering face cover,

For certainly our world will one day recover!

And when it does, you can give away,

The smile you smiled for yourself today!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  7/13/2020

Make a Choice

Choose Happy!

Happiness is a choice; I believe this is true,

The choice is yours…here’s what to do:

When it’s raining outside and your spirits are down,

And your trip to the dentist includes a new crown,

Choose Happy!

When there is so much to do and so little time to do it,

Every traffic light is red and you can’t get through it,

Choose Happy!

When you wake up late on the wrong side of the bed,

With a bad hair day, and there’s mold on your bread,

Choose Happy!

When the coffee is too hot, and you spill it in your lap,

And auto-correct changes “okay” into “oh crap”!

Choose Happy!

I guess, by now, you are getting the gist,

Instead of shaking a balled-up fist,

Choose Happy!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/30/2020

The Inkwell is Dry

Sometimes I feel like my inkwell is dry.  I have been struggling lately to write the poems that usually flow like Pouring water.

School Desk

Hundreds of years old, this desk of mine,

Once in a schoolroom, how divine!

Probably a one-room schoolhouse with students of all ages,

I’m sure its history would be pages and pages,

One teacher, one classroom,

No lunchroom or washroom,

Just an outhouse out back with no running water,

In the summertime, it could not have been hotter,

Back when the boys were absent to work on the farm,

Back when the teacher was referred to as a “school marm”,

Back when the school room had a pot-bellied stove,

Back when the children walked to school, never drove,

The mischievous boy dipped a girl’s ponytail in glue,

A big bell rang out loudly to signal recess was through,

Simpler times, yet much harder times too,

Reading and writing were a privilege for few,

Now the inkwell is dry, and the memories have faded,

But those were special times, I am persuaded.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/23/2020