"Play Pretties"

 

Tinker Toys

Visits to my grandmother’s house brought much simplicity,

Among many things, was the selection of toys she had for us to play,

The options were two, unlike the variety offered the grandchildren today,

My grandmother always brought out the same can with the metal lid,

She placed it in the middle of the floor and said:

“Here’s you some play pretties to play with children”,

Then turn to my Mom and say “well then”,

The can was filled with Tinker Toys, wooden, with lots of spools and dowels,

Different lengths and colors of wooden dowels,

It was amazing how long we could work on a creation,

The adults could talk while we invoked our imagination,

The only other “toy” she offered us was a box of dominoes,

Even if we didn’t know how to play, the possibilities were numerous,

We could set them up in a long row to create a “domino effect”,

Or build with them to make fences and towers, but with quiet respect,

Not much noise was allowed from our play on the hard floor,

“Children must be seen and not heard”, the adults would implore,

When those two toys were played until boredom had set in,

The other option was the porch swing which could be seen from the den,

We would swing and swing until time to go home,

Then back to the city Mom would drive us, with no cellphone,

It is hard to remember how we all survived then,

Without electronic games or a huge toy bin!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/18/2021