Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Voices in the Trees

A poem.
Because . . .

Each summer, since the dawn of time,
We’d pack our kids and dogs and gear
With plans to spend a week, sublime
And frolic with the bears and deer.

For camping was our family ‘thing’,
Anticipated through the year,
And, oh, what praises they would sing
When finally, the time was here.

We parents’d sit beside the fire
And eat and laugh and shoot the breeze,
While younger legs who’d never tire
Would charge together through the trees.

With shouts and laughter as they ran,
Or giggles, hopefully suppressed.
‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Kick the Can’
And ‘Find the Flag’ and all the rest.

When daylight waned, called back to camp
To spend a moment round the flames.
And crown the glowing, happy champs,
And plan for the tomorrow games.

What fun to hear those voices shout,
And watch their progress through the trees.
To see them scurrying about
On fleetest feet; or hands and knees.

Time’s gone by. It’s what it does.
And still we’re camping in the trees.
But something’s missing now, because
There’s silence floating on the breeze.

We parent’s camp, as we’ve always done,
With tales to tell and wood to hew,
But in the trees, there is no one,
No voices yelling, “I’ve found you!”

We tell ourselves it’s peaceful, true,
As restful as someone could wish,
We do the things we want to do,
Like eat and nap and swim and fish.

At night, we stare into the flames
And talk about the times long past.
When woods would ring with noisy games
And summer days forever last.

But now our kids are raising theirs.
And time’s a thing that’s hard to find,
And spending days with deer and bear’s
A priority that’s far behind.

Oh, what I’d give for one more day,
And woods that echoed with the noise,
When games would pass the time away,
When simple fun brought endless joy.

14 comments:

  1. Love it! You are so talented!

    I could almost smell the "flames".

    Love,
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  2. So many times it would be nice to go back and enjoy life as it once was. Unfortunately we can't got back physically but we've always got the photos and memories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And such memories! There's my memory, and then yours. The true one . . . :)

      Delete
  3. Oh this just brings back such sweet memories of my youth. I remember playing all those games until the sun went down. Kids nowadays have no clue what they are missing out on. Great poem--thanks for the memories!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So beautiful...and so sad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "And time's a thing that's hard to find..."

    Isn't that the truth ... especially when you are raising a young family.

    Any chance of your kids - and their kids - camping with you next year?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, I loved this one. It is so true that in this stage we would love to go back to those sweet moments we had with our children. I am glad for wonderful memories and you captured these in your awesome poem. Blessings for the memories!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Perhaps one day, not too far in the future, you will be able to take the grandchildren camping in the woods.
    Hide and seek through the trees, stories by the campfire...it sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete

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