Treasures Of A Day Gone By

I invite you to come and meet Harley

 

 

Treasures  Of  A  Day  Gone  By Today within a little park On the other side of town I came upon a Hot Dog Stand What a treasure I had found   An umbrella of bright red and blue Opened wide across its top Guarding over its precious cargo Of hot dogs chips and soda pop   With all the charm of days gone by It stood beneath the shade Behind the stand a darling man   The truest treasure of the day   Eighty at least he had to be He was so happy to be of help As he put together my two hot dogs He began to tell me of himself   My friend my name is Harley I know I appear a little worn Welcome to my hot dog stand Would you like some Carmel Corn   You have to tell me slowly How you want your hotdogs made It seems that my darn ole memory Is not too good these days   I am here Monday thru Friday I work from ten till three If you like my hot dogs Tell a few others about me please   I have a little trouble with my feet But if you have the time I will help you get these to your car The pleasure is all mine   You will not find a better dog This I guarantee No fillers or preservatives Will you find here with me   Grab yourself a soda and some chips They are a gift from me You have helped to brighten up the day Of this old man of eighty-three   I know that Harley will cross my mind For many years to come For this charming man and his hot dog stand May our Lord richly bless him When his day is done Author's Comment: The story of Harley and his hot dog stand is a true story. My husband and myself met Harley on a very windy and rainy day while living in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.   In the rain, he stood behind his Hot Dog Stand, spreading a little joy to his customers as they bought his wares. Quite elderly .... A little slow, but oh so delightful in his manarrisms we hated to get into our car and pull away. We tried to make it a habit to drop in once a week to visit with him and buy a hotdog or two. We became very fond of 'Our Harley' and looked forward to the times we could drop in to say hi. When we moved, we made a special trip to say goodbye. It was a Monday, around one. He should have been there. We had never known him not to be. I was heartbroken at the prospect that something could have happened to him. We, who are younger, complain if we are cold or windblown just getting to our car. Here, was this little old man, making his living, every day no matter what the weather. In Las Vegas, temperatures in the Summer can get to be 120 degrees very easily. Winds can gust to thirty miles an hour and when it is cold ... It Is Cold! The cold usually coming with the wind. He would always smile and say "Its really not that bad" blushing a little at my concern. He touched me deeply! The years of his wisdom, his apparent need, and the smile that he left in my heart as each week I said "See ya next week Harley" is a gift for which I will always be thankful. I wish I had hugged him once .... Just once.   This is a remarkable likeness of Harley found within a Google seach for elderly gentlemen View All My Poems Feedback Welcomed   AspiringAngel Feather Theme from Forrest Gump -

Author's Note

I hope I was able to bring you a smile.
Hugs

Reviews

[Tim]

This is a beautiful poem. We all have that one person or two that we befriended and then one day they are gone. Mine was an older gentleman who I met at a concert on the town green. Every Tuesday night during the summer he would make a point to stop and talk to me or I would stop and talk with him. He found out that I was a diabetic like him so that would always be part of the conversation. He was always fun to talk with. This past summer I did not see him I asked around about him and learned that he had past away.
So many time people don't realize how much joy an elderly person can bring or how much you can bring to them with just a few words.
Enjoyed this poem much and it brought back some good memories.

[Rain]

You definately brought a smile with this heartwarming story of an old man named "Harley." This is a classic example of how many times we by pass
old people, who have so much to give. This was just a beautiful classic memory. Rain..

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Nice that you give Harley a little legacy here in your thoughts and memories. The old folks need someone to listen to them more than anything else, there is much to be learned from our seniors.

[Samuel Dickens]

Yes you did. No matter where Harley is now, you can bet that many people carry part of him in there hearts and minds. Thank you, Lesa.