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When memory invades my thoughts and brings me joy or pain
there is one scene that’s dear to me tucked in the back roads of my brain
this one is the brightest one of any that I carry
as a little boy trudging down the dusty road to visit old aunt Mary
She really was my mothers aunt and probably wasn’t old
I never thought to ask her age I was not that bold
she had a husband Uncle Clark he had stories he would tell
it was aunt Mary who talked and laughed and gave us cookies we loved so well
in winter the house was full of lovely flowers
it was so crowded it was like a house of floral bowers
as we ran around careless in our youthful deeds
uncle Clark always admonished us to watch the gal’s weeds
the farm was as rustic as any picture by Currier and Ives
a place where old folks could live out their lives
there was the brick smoke house always look so neat
when passing close to it one could smell the curing meat
the latches on the barn doors were all made of wood
uncle Clark was a frugal man and thought this was good
in the barn were spider webs to catch buzzing flies
that flitted to and from the house where aunt Mary was baking pies
then there was the barrel of wood ash from this the rain made lye
they warned us not to touch the stuff or we would surely die
when the lye was mixed with hog fat it turned out to be soap
it didn’t take a lab technician to conjure up this dope
autumn was a nice time when things were turning brown
with purple asters and golden rod and thistles shedding down
the orchard was a wonderful place to a hungry boy
to sample all the fruit therein was my greatest joy
in the center was the sweet apple tree they were tremendous size
if they were at the county fair they would surely take the prize
I sampled all apples in the grove or all that I could see
and ended up on the south side under a juicy peach tree
now I have wander around a bit and encountered things of joy
but nothing tops going down to old aunt Mary’s when I was a boy
I don’t think I ever thanked her for how loving and kind she had been
but when I get to heaven I will surely do it then.