Glenn Keller

The grownups visited in the basement

That basement that George was so proud of

He paneled it in that 1960’s style

Cheap, but effective, like a boys clubhouse

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Leonia and George hosted parties and dinners down there

She cooked and he tended behind the bar he built

Gossip and politics;

One cousin was lazy

Another cousin wore her skirts too short

Nixon was a communist

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My crime was general mischief

I’d retreat to the attic

Doing what I enjoyed most

Being alone in a house full of people

Alone but not alone…I’ve always liked that feeling

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The presence of people in the house

The smell of alcohol and cigarettes

The fading smell of Turkey cooking

The fading smell of Baking pies

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Those smells bring all that back

Back to me alone in the attic

Watching “Holiday Inn” and dreaming my dream world

A snow bound house in the country

Barely 13, I wanted to kiss Virginia Dale

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I’d raid the ice box in a kitchen that wasn’t really mine

Borrowed like so many other kitchens

Welcome but still outside

But the memory is all mine

Bing, Fred, and Virginia

Ginger ale and turkey sandwiches

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Slowly, imperceptibly weaves the fabric

The fabric of our being

One stitch at a time

© Glenn R Keller 2023, All Rights Reserved