Yesterday, Today

YESTERDAY, TODAY

 

Today, the demolished the home of my birth,

Now, only a shabby shack, of little worth;

Under the apple trees, my friends and I would play;

Well, there were apple trees, there, yesterday;

In the summer, my father would scythe the lawn,

Until all of the pretty dandelions and clover flowers were gone;

There will, soon, be a parking lot upon our yard,

With an attendant's booth and 24-hour guard;

I remember looking from the windows, across the neighbors' land,

Where all the gleaming new buildings will, soon, stand;

No families will house here, anymore,

Nor will it say "welcome" outside each door;

So, I am glad I have my memory,

Because yesterday, today, is a pile of debris.

Author's Note

It hasn't happened to my childhood home, yet, but I know many to whom it has happened!

Reviews

[Devons]

A really lovely, touching poem. Dream-like memories and stark modernities clash really well to push home the point subtly. Nice work.
Halfway through it I was reminded of Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell...

"Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got til it's gone -
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot!"

[Charles]

Poems of the sort are evocative... many memories for many families. The language here is straightforward, which suits the matter-of-fact assessment of the changes in landscape. Good work.

[Samuel Dickens]

Well, when and if it does disappear, you'll be able to reconstruct it with your words, recalling every wonderful detail. Mine is long gone, but I remember it clearly. Is the past ever really and truly gone?