Old wooden screen doors that slam when you've gone through
And chipped green paint that falls from the door
When the hollow sound breaks the air
Take me back....way back...to a time when I was young
When you were still there.
Creaky wide board floors that squeak when you cross the room
And have gaps between the planks to steal coins and trap small jewelry
That has been dropped by clumsy fingers
Take me back...way back...to childhood years
When you were still there.
Lilacs dark and tall that smell so fragrant on the drowsy evening
And pale ones that play on the breeze beside the others
Outside the dining room window
Take me back...far back....to lazy, carefree days
When you were still there.
Rowboats floating freely, yet tethered to posts in the breakwater
And rocking softly like cradles for sailors
While gulls soar above screeching lullabies
Take me back....to long ago...when days were endless
When you were still there.
Kathleen Beebe Waygood
April 19, 2012
