Category: Elder Folk
I love small towns. You know the kind. The ones that seem to jump out of a painting, the ones with the quaint old houses, the manicured lawns, and the small shops where family is involved in selling their wares.
I love small towns, Where big bands play on the town square as fireflies float on the breeze, and people sit in lawn chairs drinking cherry coke or pink lemonade, and listen to the music as stars begin to surrender the setting sun, then, as if on cue, the moon is a huge ball of yellow under an October sky.
I love small towns. Where family trees are established, where America seems to be frozen in another time.
I love small towns, where people sit on porches, and greet each person by name who passes by.
I love small towns, where children play after dark under a bright street light.
I love small towns. Where one single church bell rings on a Sunday morning, and where everybody knows everybody else.
I love small towns. With their Dairy Queens, there picnic baskets, and where the winds of change don't blow so quickly.
Hey Sharon I love this poim! I wish they still sold cherry Coke! I haven't had one of those sinse 1986. We usually have pink lemonade at stuff like the church picnic!
I don't think i've ever been in a town like that. I would guess there aren't many towns likethat anymore, but then i don't really inow.
wonderwoman
I wonder if there were ever any towns like that to begin with? Maybe it looked like that on the surface, but who knows what secrets lurk in those gentle breezes? Oh, and Cherry Coke still exists; I can buy it in the break room vending machine where I work. MMMM.
Well, there were towns like that, and I was privileged to live in one. Yes, there were scandals and secrets, but we just loved and forgave. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but no place is. Still, I love small townds with old-fashioned soda fountains, and one drugstore. lol. Thanks for reading my poem. dl
DL that poem was awesome. I'd love to live in a small town like that someday. Right now I live in the suburbs, but I have been in a small town and know the difference. It's somehow more close to family there because of the fact that everybody knows everybody else. It may seem that it isn't a good thing with the scandals that could happen and get out, but it all seems to be worth it when you are with people you are close to. Here I am slightly reminiscent. Smiley.
I'm glad to know that cherry Coke still exist! I'd love to know where I could buy some? Yes these towns do and still do exist! I live in one!
I grew up in such a town, and my memories of it are nice. The owner of our local store (yes only one) used to deliver our groceries about an hour after my sister and I took the list my mother made out to him. Later on, my cousin and I used to take his mother's list too, and he and I would always add "one pack of camels" to the bottom of the list, and we took the groceries back to his mother--minus one pack of cigarettes.
I also remember that every adult in town had permission to spank any kid in town, so you had about fifty baby sitters. We kids didn't like it, but we accepted it.
However, I wasn't aware at the time that the janitor of our school and his family were forced to move because his was the only black family in town. And the school board was afraid of integration.
I vaguely remember some crisis in our baptist church. It turned out that the preacher was asked to move on because he dared to criticize the way some of the men in town treated their hispanic field workers.
So, small towns. My memories of them are great, but, the place I remember never truly existed, but I sure wish it did.
wistful Bob
Well, did you ever see that episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE? This man hears of such a town, jumps off a moving train, and goes to it, escaping his greedy unappreciative wife. I loved that episode. And now, the little town I live in has become home. I've established roots, made friends, and will always love it. Now, sometimes it's a little boring, but that's life too. Besides, I can hang out at the zone when I get bored, or just need somebody to hang out with. Hand me that pitcher of Country Time, and let's sit a-spell. lol
Sone one being forced to move caus they are black, that's a shame! It sounds like Apartide in South Africa! I know all about South Africa! My friends Elsa and Eleanor are from there!
yes dream lady, I remember that episode very well now that you mention it. i loved that episodetoo, but i loved most of the twilight zone shows. some i didn't care for, but most i did. I think one of my favorite episodes was the oneabout the little boy who made everything in the town disappear, or maybe, i think, he cut the town off from the rest of the world, and noone knew whether he made the world disappear, or if he just made the town disappear. he had powers, and people had to think good thoughts about him, or he'd turn them in to jack in the boxes, or justmake them disappear. people went around saying, you're a good boy anthony, because they were terribly afraid of him. that could've been considered a small town, lol. if they could've gotten rid of him, it would've been a nice town.
wonderwoman
Wonderwoman, the episode you are talking about was, I think, called "it's a good life" and was adapted from a science fiction story by Jerome Bixby.
Dreamlady, I don't remember the name of the episode about the small town but the town was called Wiloby.
I love the twilight zone. I have somewhere a link to an internet page that discusses each of the shows with plot descriptions. If I can find it, I'll post it here.
Bob
thanks bob, I have some of the best of the twilight zone on a vc r tape, 2 vcr tapes i think. I don't watch the twilight zone much anymore, because i've sen them over and over, but i do watch them again on the 4th of july.
wonderwoman
Well, Bob, that was the name of that town. I'd love to have episodes from the Twilight Zone on tape. You're lucky wonder, because you can watch them whenever you want.
This is kind of off the subject, but do you all remember that episode about the maniqins? How they could live among the humans for one month once a year? Now, that was weird. Wouldn't mind going to Willowby myself. lol.
I do remember the manakin episode you are talking about. It was spooky.
Be careful what you wish for: I think Willoby, in that episode, was symbolic of death. At the end of the story the main character jumpped off of a train, and decided to live in Wiloby forever.
Bob
yeah i remember the manequin story too. I loved it, and i was so shocked when i found out the woman was a manequin. it was like she'd totally forgotten she was a manequin.
wonderwoman
Well Bob, it was symbolic of death. I know it sounded pretty good. Now the maniqin episode was spooky. Do you remember Weird Theater? Everybody in my hometown thought it was a good thing to watch.
I don't think i've ever heard of that one, sounds good though. wish we had had it.
wonderwoman
Well Wonder, it was kind of a dorky show, but I loved it. Like this one episode was called, "the blob". this thing came down, this gooey stuff, and ate New York. (laughing my head off). I mean, it was supposed to be scary, but now, it would be considered comic. And of course, to kids it was scary. lol.
One thing I've been wondering is in your views, what are the worst and best things about small towns. To me the best things about small towns are:
Loyalty to others and the American flag, loyalty to the preacher, and the President, the importance attached to education, political views, icecream, get-togethers, parents, dogs, and God and religion.
The worst things about small towns to me are:
the boredom of not having much to do, the ignorance and stigma attached to blindness by town folk, the way the businesses close at 6 in the evening, the fear of something new or new experiences, and the sometimes narrow minded views of people.
Still, I love small towns. To me, they are an Anerican institution, a way of life that's sadly being replaced by bigger suburbs and bigger cities. Is progress so important that we must leave them in the dust, despite their bad points.