FAMILY
There were six of us…..plus Mom & Dad.
12 years separated the oldest from the youngest,
So, not very much camaraderie
existed amongst us.
When I was born,
Dad was in the Army in World War Two.
Later, my brother went to Korea,
my oldest son did too.
Times were tough,
but we lived on a farm
and in those days, not much you did
could cause very much harm.
There was food on the table,
but not much variety.
And, we didn’t have much in common
with high society.
Most of our clothing
was hand-me-downs.
And, it wasn’t very often
that we went into town.
We picked pickles for market
and chopped wood for heat.
Raised chickens for eggs.
hogs & cows for meat.
Sometimes I milked the cows
and helped butcher the chickens.
Nothin’s as stinky
as wet feather pickin.
We raised a garden,
and after tilling and planting,
we pulled lots of weeds,
then came harvesting and canning.
We often went fishin’
as a family outing.
Bullheads, mosquitoes
and “be quiet no shouting.”
We hunted and trapped
and fished through the ice.
We squabbled and fought,
then tried to make nice.
We didn’t all make it
all the way though high school
but we were all raised
to be nobody’s fool.
I was the first
to make it from High School to college.
Yet, I’m still the one
with the least amount of knowledge.
We’ve built cars and guarded convicts
and worked in finance.
We’ve worked farms and factories
and left things to chance.
We’ve all married & had children,
some more than others
and they’re all good people,
just like my sister’s and brother’s.
Now we’re spread out
all over this great land.
But, if one should have a need,
we’ll all lend a hand.
I now live in Florida,
as do both of my sons.
one with two daughters
the other with just one.
Dad’s been gone now
thirty years and more.
He and Mom both passed
at the age of sixty four.
From where we all started,
we’ve come pretty far
but we’re all still family
where ever we are.
© Copyright 2011 Richard Lee King,Author of:
A Pursuit of Life & The Price of Freedom
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