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I took a walk down yesterday
Just to reminisce awhile
Of childhood games
Forgotten playmates' names
And memories that make me smile
Strolling through Johnson Bottom
Made a lump form in my throat
Remembering good old days
And Christmas plays
When aging seemed so remote
Stopping at the Fletcher house
Seeing June and Milton there
In their coal camp shack
Below the railroad track
The children so young and fair
Across the lane was our old house
Where another loving family dwelled
Mother rocking Lavaughn
Daddy with work clothes on
Precious memories in my heart swelled
Brothers and sisters played in the yard
Games of hopscotch, marbles and tag
Neighbor kids joined the play
On that hot, summer day
As we listened to the old men brag
The Dotsons, Esteps, Roses and Wards
All their houses still looked the same
Women doing chores
Hanging laundry outdoors
It seemed that nothing had changed
The sound of the tipple as it processed coal
The rattle and the dust so common
Men risking their lives
For their children and wives
Was the life in Johnson Bottom
Sitting on the porch when the work was done
As Daddy played "Wildwood Flower"
With his guitar ringing
And our voices all singing
'Twas a fun way to while away the hours
It seemed as if time had stood still
My heart lost in this reverie
With twilight falling
I heard the present calling
Into this place called memory
Kathleen McCoy Eldridge©
March 14, 2008
All Rights Reserved
Wildwood Flower Sequenced by Harry Todd Country Music Midi Songs
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