Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is ‘to write a poem based on things you remember.’ Not a particularly unique prompt (particularly the ‘I remember…’ variant), but I gave it a shot:
A list of random things I remember from childhood that ends up being all about TV in the end and could theoretically go on forever because I didn’t bother to give it a proper ending
The newspaper article about the parrot
who was taught to say ‘go to hell’
Six inches of snow on a December morning
putting on my snow boots and trudging down the hill
The NFL home game that just vibrated when plugged in
so the little plastic players did nothing
Late night TV shows I tried to stay up for
but could never get through without missing something
Gasping on the steps of the playground at lunchtime
with a piece of Red Vine stuck in my throat
Trying to point at something across the street
and putting my finger up my best friend’s nose
Playing tennis racket electric guitar in front of the mirror
while singing along to ‘Ballroom Blitz’
Listening to American Top 40 on Sundays
to hear Casey Kasem play all the hits
Recording my favorite TV shows
by putting the tape recorder in front of the set
Seeing Star Wars from front row center
because it was the best place to sit
Stacking too many LPs on the record changer
and the last record would never spin
Playing Monopoly® after school
and nobody could win
Cartoons every morning before school
while eating peanut butter toast
The Joker’s Wild in the afternoon
while eating peanut butter toast
Intermissions on Home Box Office:
trailers and bicycle rides through Central Park
‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at 2 a.m.
and test patterns after dark
(29 April 2016)
the details are key. that peanut butter toast and the parrot! 🙂
Thanks! Yes, I didn’t think that article about the parrot got enough attention when I shared it in class (our fourth-grade teacher had us bring in news articles once a week), so I made sure to raise my hand and emphasize that the parrot was taught to say “go to hell”. Needless to say, there was a big “ooooooh!” from the kids in the class, and the teacher told me I shouldn’t go around repeating that. But my job was done by that point…
Also, afternoon was peanut butter on saltines, but “saltines” doesn’t rhyme with “toast”. 🙂