The old country road winds through the woods just like it always did
Now it's a gravel road not just plain old dirt like when I was a kid
That's where the old one room school house used to stand so long ago
We walked five good miles everyday from our little farm rain or snow
Wouldn't it be great to see our Miss Percy standing there ringing her bell
Such a shame everything is gone even that big old tree that stood by the well
Oh my, how Francis was so crazy about Harry then married Ed his brother
And now, heck, they're all buried across the road right next to each other
The old country schoolhouse in this day had to become a thing of the past
But it's just too darn bad some of those other good old ways couldn't last
Who on earth will ever tell others of this life when no one is left around
Like barn dances, box socials, only silent country cemeteries can be found
Oh, the memories sweet, for such childhood joy there is no near measure
Yet now most all these gay, young ones are gone, none left to treasure
Because just as God scattered these children all across the Iowa loam
He has gathered them all up again and taken them safely back home
(c) Roger Eugene Corell, August 25, 2005
This poem is dedicated to the memories of our mothers, fathers, grandparents, and to their stories that keep alive the memories of other days before our time.
rec