When
he was six he was deemed
old
enough to ride his bicycle
(red)
the mile and a half
to
the dime store, a place
of
magic with rows of toys
and
candy and those racks
of
59 cent books, Trixie Belden
and
the Secret of the Mansion,
Black
Beauty, the Bobbsey Twins,
Kidnapped
and Robinson Crusoe.
The
library was too far and across
the
highway so he learned to buy
instead
of borrow.
This
is another in a series of poems about growing up in the South, suggested by Nancy Rosback. The dime store
in question was called TG&Y.
Photograph: Oklahoma
Historical Society.
7 comments:
Ah! The long-ago magic of the dime store . . . This brought back some memories I'd not thought about for ages.
Blessings, Glynn!
I think it's genetic. You and I both exceeded our allowances in the books we bought.
Hoping you are staying cool. St. Louis temps are rivaling, maybe even exceeding, D.C.-area's own.
(red) ... i love it.
this boy (you) got out and about at an early age!
yes...i suspect that this is not fiction.
good list of books.
you started your book buying at an early age too.
Very evocative, Glynn, for those of us of a certain age and landscape...thank you.
"he learned to buy instead of borrow."
Isn't that what all Americans have learned in recent generations?
ah, the beginning of your cycling mania.
we buy books too 'cause of the whole library distance too -- but ours come via ups
blessings.
Saving up my allowance for a trip to the dime store which was 30 miles away was a major event.
Thanks for the memories.
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