Wintertime Memories Poem by Loyd C Taylor Sr
Wintertime Memories
Snowflakes a-fallin', in the kitchen Mom's callin',
'You youngins' get out of that bed! '
The day's now a-wastin', the biscuits a-bakin'
And I got lots to do 'ere ye're fed.
Son, help your brother straighten up those covers
You never know who'll drop by today;
Go wash up with the others, gather round the table,
Hold hands, and now let us pray:
‘Lord, for the night's rest we're grateful
For those 'round the table and for daily meat;
Now bless what's before us, in the name of Jesus, '
Alright, now y'all can eat.
When y'all are through eatin' the chickens need feedin'
And there's firewood that needs bringin' in.
Now go feed your dog, give the scraps to the hogs
And bring back an armload of kindlin.''
It seems just like yesterday we sat at that table,
Mom and Dad and the whole family;
I never knew then just how precious to me
Would those wintertime memories be.
No, we never were rich in material things,
Tough times made you want to cry;
But we had love to spare for all of us there
And for any stranger that dropped by.
They say you can't go back to days gone by,
I'm sorry, but I must disagree—
For I often do return and again live
As in this, my wintertime memory.
© Loyd C. Taylor
concepts about life, family, friends, God, etc.
As a child growing up in a large family, we had it pretty good during the warm seasons of the year, but wintertime was another story. Wintertime was cold and at times very hard—a time we couldn't wait to get through.
Mom and Dad would scrape together food to feed us from what had been
canned, stored, or donated. They made sure we stayed warm, usually
by lighting firewood gathered earlier or coal we were able to purchase. Somehow the family all pulled together and did what was needed to get by.
Wintertime was also a good time, a time that we seemed to huddle a little closer together as a family and appreciated one another a little more.
Wintertime makes me think of the beauty of falling snow blanketing the
ground—what a sight—covering the dirt and brown grass! Snow covering
the earth reminds me of how God's love covers the world and cleanses it, making it beautiful. Wintertime reminds me of the smell of wood burning or Momma cooking in the kitchen, the smell of coffee filling the air, or Dad's aftershave. I remember the feeling of waking up nearly frozen to death and how from under the covers I could see my breath vanishing before me.
I remember us kids running as fast as we could to huddle around the wood stove in the living room while we waited for breakfast.
Much of the inspiration for my poems came to me as I sat alone thinking of family and friends. In your thoughts and memories, for just a brief while you can go back, relive the good times, the fun times, and the sad times.
I thank God that we are able to record our thoughts to remind us in the future of the blessings of the past.
Wintertime Memories is one of those poems where I allowed myself to go
back and relive my childhood days once more.
I made my way to this piece after having read your biography (which is warm and wonderful by the way!) . It did take a bit of searching as the title here is slightly different (I was looking under 'W' originally) - which I mention only because it offers the glimpse that you promised and I thought it would be a shame if others missed it. Chickens and hogs and dogs and goodness, ELEVEN siblings? ! Your early years were clearly quite different than mine and I thank you, sir, for sharing your memories with us. It's lovely to see how fondly you recall those days. I must say - there's a lot of warmth in these Wintertime Memories! ! ! ~Christine
i too had humble beginnings, but those are the most cherished memories of my life.when ever i get overwhelmed i withdraw to the treasre trove of memries- those bickerings with siblings. tending to the garden. a really lovely and well composed poem. thanks Taylor
I can't stop smiling, I have this little movie going on in my head, with the accents & all. What a rich life you have had - absolutely wonderful to read, thank you.
What wonderful scenes you painted for us with this one Loyd, and like Tia, I too feel I am viewing a warm movie about real family life. Lots of us can only yearn for such memories but thank you for sharing yours in this way. Do keep writing about such memories. from Fay.
This is a heart-warming poem...a delightful read...a tender evocation of childhood memories...beautifully written!
Such a wonderful poem! Yes, I agree that such Winter memories never die!
It is REALLY a pretty poem makes you live the moments you are taking about. Your reading has been mixed with music you choose, so they give together a very nice tone. But actually i see that your dropped a word in the poem although your read it in your recitation, in stanza number five, line number one, (It seems just yesterday.....) it should to be as you read it (It seems just LIKE yesterday.....) I like it, thank you for sharing that with us.
A beautiful poem bringing in a train of sweet childhood memories of a blissful time! Yes, those memories never die, but surge in our mind now and then to sweep us back to a time of bliss and unalloyed joy when we lived under the loving care of our parents! Though its rendition I couldn't hear, I love the poem as it has evoked such strong memories in me! I invite you to read my poem Nostalgia..... almost similar in spirit!
............oh I loved this poem.....thanks so much for sharing this with me....hope your day is filled with many blessings....and your new year also :)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/26/2024 8:03:05 PM # 1.0.0.1119
I love to go back in time too and I enjoyed going back with you into your childhood. Love your rhyme and your wintertime memories. Thanks! Best Wishes, Marilyn