The door would open with a swing;
I could smell the fresh oiled floor.
My favorite place on earth to be
Was the local General Store.
My dusty feet on hardwood floors
On a sunny summer day,
Or blasting heat from an old wood stove
Keeping winter winds at bay.
Large glass cases displayed the wares
As I’d tiptoe up to see.
The owner smiled and gave a wink
And gave a paper bag to me.
Hard candies in a big glass jar;
Bubblegum that smelled so nice;
Huge pickles in a giant jar
And bologna by the slice.
Drinks in a cooler by the door;
The cold air would brush my face.
Yoo Hoos were on the bottom row,
So I’d lean inside the case.
Men played checkers on a barrel
Sipping coffee, freshly perked;
Their hands all calloused, big and strong
From the fields where they all worked.
Oiled floors and a licorice stick,
With a Yoo Hoo; nothing more
Can remind me of my childhood days
At the local General Store.
Copyright © 1998 by moleta ruth mccarter. All rights reserved.
