Remember When

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Carol remembers
"Red Rover, Red Rover
send Louie over,"
and how I ran
but my pants fell
and I didn't
break through the line well
because I had
to stop and pull them up
too many times
to move fast,
and that's why
I got picked last.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Bobby remembers
how we got caught
running down rows of desks
in the old
Rumford Center School.
It wasn't as amusing
to adults
as it was
to children, carefree.
I still profess
that it could have been
someone who looked
like me.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Mindy remembers
the days way before
Taco Thursdays
when I would ask
for a second lump
of mashed potatoes
next to the pizza
on my school tray.
I bet she never knew
how that white paste
kept starvation at bay
when I was a dirty
and skinny child.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Bobbi Jo remembers
when simple teenage rebellion
wasn't enough
and I was going to
be in trouble anyway,
so I bleached my hair
and got a Mohawk
because no one really said
I couldn't,
just that I shouldn't.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Tracy remembers
finger quotes
and how Ms. Mason
never knew
instead of studying
and learning
Psychologist names
I drew pictures
and passed notes.
She said I wasn't
quote "Normal,"
but I was making friends
along the way.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Annette remembers
when I had no more ambition
than proving that Lazy Boys
were for sitting
and listening to Willie Nelson
and Jethro Tull
on a warm summer day
when I could
have been helping
my brother work away.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Aimee remembers
when I was
her teenage uncle
wearing
dirty ragged tie dyes
and watched
cartoons
while sleeping
on a couch
instead of doing
anything more productive
than imagining
living in a land
drawn by hand.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Jim remembers
front porch sitting
and pawing over
8-Track tapes
from garage sale
grab bags.
I was sure
no one else remembered
Freddy Fender,
and how this one
was sure to lose
'Wasted Days"
half way through.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Steve remembers
me laughing too loud
and long
and someone asking
if I needed oxygen
and if I was real.
"Please fix that squeak
and make him stop!"

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Shena remembers
a sunny day
when I wore leather pants
and a pink striped shirt
to a friend's wedding.
Funny how sun's rays
and black leather
can heat places
that would bring red
to most faces.
Memories last,
even when the Holy union
has dissolved far into the past.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Rudy remember
how precise I was
when I launched an airplane.
Everything had a place
and every action a time,
and to err or suggest change
was a major crime,
but it taught
quality and made him
the awesome mechanic
he grew into,
as exactness
and repetition
often do.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Honeylynn remembers
how my kindness
and friendship
always brightens the day.
I cherish
my smile being stuck
in her mind,
instead of the thought
of me being
a thorn in her side.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Melanie remembers
complements and criticism,
poised and poison pens
and poetic prose
while shoulder sharing.
That is the start
of friendship and caring.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.

Jess claims he remembers
me working at a Gate,
selling tickets
and getting people
to see the Fair
before they were late.
Funny we don't
remember turning wrenches
and making planes fly,
but damn, we had fun
in days gone by.

It's funny how a thought
can bring the past
rushing back,
dragging me
down memory lane.