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Singing To Grandma's House

 

Singing to Grandma’s House

                               

 

Oh!

Barreling down the dirt roads

To Grandma’s house was exciting!

Thumping up storms of dust

Under the wheels of the old grey sedan

That had to hold four kids in the back 

All squashed and squabbly

Until Dad started to sing.

And our dad could sing!

He taught us the best songs ever.

We sang lustily the raunchy lyrics

Of the Great War years

That he picked up as a kid from his dad

And all those grandpa uncles.

Every time Dad started these songs

His eyes twinkled

And our mother sucked her teeth

And said 'Tssch!'

While her mouth quirked at the corners.

Mother had a serpentine sense of humour:

You never knew when it would strike;

This insecurity kept us on our toes.

Mum couldn't stay in pitch to save her soul,

But she hummed along with the melodies

All off-key and funny.

We egged her on

And then tried to drown her out

With our smirky

Tunefulness.

 

 

 

Cynthia Buell Thomas

◄ Moon Month

Old Woman in a Corner ►

Comments

<Deleted User> (5646)

Mon 17th Aug 2009 11:04

I love nostalgic poems which bring so many memories to the fore as does this one.

Being from a large family myself i can definitely associate with the squashed up kids on the back seat and far too many for the number of seat-belts. ha ha.

Janet.x

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winston plowes

Sun 16th Aug 2009 22:17

Hi Cynthia, Squashed and squabbly... great but the last 7 lines did it for me. Unexpected and focusing in on the relationship between all the people on this condensed journey. Top. win

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Cate Greenlees

Sun 16th Aug 2009 16:51

Yes..... loved this Cynthia. So glad you dug it out of your archives!! Our dad played the piano, and our mother had a glorious voice, so we all grew up singing classics, war songs,opera, musicals or pop off the radio, whatever was the happening of the moment. An incredibly noisy household!!!
Cate xx

Steve Smith

Sun 16th Aug 2009 11:06

This is a very fine piece, a picture, a tune and the puzzles of regret.
Steve Smith

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Isobel

Sat 15th Aug 2009 23:52

You paint a great picture here Cynthia - I love the nostalgia, the humanity and the reality of it all. How many times was I all 'squashed and squabbly' during my childhood - the youngest of six!

<Deleted User> (6484)

Sat 15th Aug 2009 20:02

Liked this a lot Cynthia, you created a nice picture here.
Bernie

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