Church Camp
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I wasn’t sure I would enjoy church camp in the outdoors.
But it turned out well and I made good memories galore.
The poem reviews my time in the Palo Duro Canyon scene,
Enjoying myself with other boys of my age in this dream
Church Camp
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When I was 9, I went to First Christian Church’s camp in summer,
The camp was at beautiful Palo Duro Canyon, it’s a real wonder.
We stayed for a week with all of our friends from church classes.
Learning things from the bible, spending time outside with the masses.
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We stayed in groups of 10 in small cabins with only wire screens,
With our sleeping bags on cots and one counselor in short jeans.
We got up at 6 and headed for a sunrise bible class outside.
It was quite a refreshing way to start our day with much pride.
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We went to breakfast at the cantina not far from our little cabin,
The cooks were good and eating the food was like being in heaven.
After breakfast we had some free time to roam around the camp,
We caught crayfish and frogs wading in the stream getting damp.
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There were trees to climb and canyons of red clay to explore,
We did all these fun things and then looked for some more.
Lunch was very nice then we headed back to the cabin to rest.
We all took a long nap although it was a bit warm at the best.
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We then went to the large swimming pool in our swimming suits,
And swam for three hours having a ball feeling like fun recruits.
There was a life guard and high diving board for big cannonballs,
But when making the high dives, sometimes we busted our balls.
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After swimming we always took a long nature hike in the canyon,
To Find things like feathers and rocks shaped just like onions.
We brought our treasures back wrapped in small little cloth rags,
And took them back to the cabin and packed them in our bags.
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After supper, we had a short church service at the church on the hill.
A young learning minister spoke to us and influenced us at will.
We listened more intently than we did at the church in town,
As it seemed like we had grown up a little when all this went down.
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We gathered in a group at the center of camp for a session of games.
We had a tug of war with a large rope after choosing side names.
And had races with each other until we had the grand winner.
With this much fun, it was certainly no place for little sinners.
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To end our day, we gathered around the big outdoor camp fire,
And roasted marshmallows and made us s’mores on a wire .
We ate them down and then fixed some more until we were full,
And a counselor told scary stories while our legs they did pull.
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My special time at church camp I do remember very well.
And my fun experiences have remained with me, I do tell,
I think that when a boy reaches the very old age of nine,
They live to do things that are great fun from time to time.
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading Church Camp,
Bill