Waiting at the bus stop in winter
Left a whole lot to be desired
By the time we finally got to school
We surely didn't feel inspired
The older kids helped the little ones
Tried to shield them from the cold
Seemed like we always had a kid hanging on
After a while, it got pretty old
But the little ones knew we loved them
We were used to helping with their care
There were seven of us kids at home
Sure was hectic, I do declare
We usually tried to make the best of it
So we'd laugh and hop and skip and run
Before long, frozen toes and fingertips
Would put the kibosh on that fun
Lena and I often used the time to sing
There in the cold, we would harmonize
Stopping now and then to blow their noses
And hold on to the little kids' supplies
We finally got a shelter to wait in
A roughly build rickety old shack
It got us out of the freezing rain
But the winds blew through the cracks
The school bus was a sight to see
And seemed to always give us a thrill
When it rounded the Roxie Taylor curve
With good old B. Ward at the wheel
But sometimes, it was overloaded
So the driver had to pass us by
Then we all had to take off walking
In the snow on down to Phelps High
I often think of those long gone years
And the times we all waited there
We made it through those Kentucky winters
And came out none the worse for wear
Kathleen McCoy Eldridge©
March 8, 2009
All Rights Reserved
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