In the Smallest Of Big Towns

For Emma's Challenge a friend contest - collab with the Rock and Roll Cowboy. We picked the theme of our hometown, since we realized a while back that we grew up just about 40 minutes from each other in California. Thanks for doing this Dale!

IN THE SMALLEST OF BIG TOWNS

The Rock and Roll Cowboy

When we were young…

We called home here
In the smallest of big towns…
These streets were our play ground,
Playing in our own Super Bowl
Or pretending to dunk
In the NBA finals.
A simple game of tag or hide and seek
Was always played well into the night.

Coming of age…

Entering our high school days…
Still remaining five great friends
Of very diverse backgrounds,
The United Nations is what we were called
In the smallest of big towns.
Starting a band and chasing skirts,
Sticking like glue through highs and lows.
Waking the neighbors partying all night
Or hanging and drinking on deserted roads,
Oh yeah we did it all.

Finding our way…

Into the reality of adulthood
Couldn’t stop the five musketeers
In the smallest of big towns.
Through the agony of full time jobs
And the misery of paying the bills
We still found the time to show the world
What friendship was about
And could still tear up this town.

Through the years…

Time has pulled us in different directions
But our foundation remains on solid ground.
What started out
In the smallest of big towns
Has turned into friendships bigger then the universe.

 

 

IN MY HOMETOWN

Craig Froman

 

A California farm town

 Bulldogs, colors green and gold

One snow in twenty years

Small church, large hearts to hold

 

Kindergarten tackle football

Sent home with a blackened eye

Bean festival summers

Under a brilliant blue sky

 

So close to seaside cities

Disneyland and the deserts too

Yosemite was my enchantment

So dreamish were the worlds I knew

 

The high school art fanatic

First kiss as the rains came down

Laughing faces, sad goodbyes

And that was in my hometown…

 

Author's Note

CONTEST: You and a friend give each other a TITLE - a challenge, if you like. When you've both completed the challenge, submit the two poems together, please. Your poems can be silly, serious or whatever, but should compliment or balance each other. Have fun!

Reviews

[LisetteCanWrite!]

Wow really enjoyed this.. flowed really well.. when I first read the title I wasn't sure.. as I read both your work regularly and both are great writers but have somewhat different undertones and styles.. but wow you really put this together! Hope you win the contest! Thank you so very much for sharing this! =)

[cest la vie]

What a wonderful idea. Out of this idea came a wonderful, nostalgic write. Both selections were well written, with vivid images for the reader. Made me a bit homesick for my hometown..

[emmajoy]

CONGRATULATIONS... you and Dale have been awarded second place.. a near decision, believe me!

[Arthur Henn]

You two put together the best poem...It brings back a lot of memories of growing up and putin the heart into the beauty of the reality its in now, and that my two brothers is that we as writers can move on into all directions that the heart takes us.

I like where your hearts have taken mine with this piece. My vote for you is in the hat. (Its a winner!)

Art

[Sorry Infamous]

The memories that come alive in both of these. In Cowboys I really enjoyed the sentences trailing into the stanzas...they really gave you a sense of aging and the passage of time. In Froman's I liked the ending... pulled all your thoughts together and gave homage to the place you lived.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

It was an honor to team with you, thanks for asking me to be a part of it... yours gave me a down home feeling and a chuckle making me feel like a kid again... and knowing where you grew up made it especially great.

So close to seaside cities
Disneyland and the deserts too
Yosemite was my enchantment
So dreamish were the worlds I knew

that part was the best as it hit home for me as well.

[Wildfleour]

As I wrote on Cowboy's page, I was SO excited to see two of my best guy friends here collaborating.

Great writes and I am smiling BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!