Things I Remember
A lot of memories from Sulphur Springs are coming to me,
In the past few weeks as I sit here at home feeling so free.
I wonder if this may be a sign something will happen soon.
So I need to write them all down so my mind can attune.
Things I Remember
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Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, was so different in every way,
From the town of Phillips, Texas, where I usually did play.
It was green with wild fruits, nuts and all kind of berries,
With lots of creeks, rivers, and lakes of sizes that vary.
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I think all the things I saw during my summers there,
Made a huge impression on me through all those years.
The short two weeks I spent there in my younger days,
Was only a small fraction of my life along my long way.
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Yet, the memories from the those trips remain steadfast.
As I think about all those fun times that do so long last.
Even the daily activities of an hour or so come to mind,
So let’s get started and see just what is there to find.
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In the Eldreds back yard, there in Sulphur Springs town,
Is where one of those old memories of mine did go down.
They had this giant Mulberry tree there standing so tall.
That we climbed way up so high, trying hard not to fall.
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Once I was trying to reach some real big juicy mulberries,
Out there on a small branch when I lost my grip so scary.
And fell right out of that tree spraining my right knee.
I limped for a couple of days and went back up that tree.
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The worst part of the experience was Mom hollering at me,
For staining my shirt with that purple juice of the mulberry.
I still climbed that tree every day for snacks so very good,
But first, I took the shirt I wore off like a good son should.
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A block down the street from my grandmothers home,
Was a black walnut processing plant where we did roam.
There was a pile of cracked walnut shells 30 feet high,
And it seemed like to us, it was nearly touching the sky.
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We all started there at the pile bottom at the same time.
Climbing fast trying to get to the to top feeling so fine,
The first one on top tried to be the king on the mountain,
By pushing the others down the side rolling like a tin can.
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We played on that pile of walnut shells for hours on end,
Getting cracked shells all over us making us itch then.
Sometimes those hulls would work down in your crack,
And those sharp shells dealt us misery until our bath.
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We would walk on down to the Shamrock filling station,
And get an ice cold Coke for a dime with no negotiations.
We filled that Coke bottle with salty peanuts from a bag,
Thinking we were hip Americans girls and boys not drags.
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading Things I Remember,
Bill