Like years ago
Im standing here
Leaning on the rail of this old porch
And the memories burn
Within my mind
Like flames of a brilliant torch
I see the remains
Of yesterday
And things that used to be
I recall mistakes
That I once made
They’ve never stopped haunting me
The little toys
Which once brought joy
Sit inside looking cold
They remind me of
A time gone by
When I felt I’d never grow old
A broken chair
Stands on three legs
A puzzle, never done
Time forgot them both
As it has forgot
A little boy in the summer sun
Now, like the toys
He stands alone
And the sun has gone away
But the memories
Keep coming out
As if saved for a rainy day
And little children
Playing in the snow
With a hole in every glove
Have been lost in time
But a dim fire burns
As if for a long lost love
And the old pond
Where we slid on ice
Has dried up years ago
The cows no longer
Quench thirst there
And high the weeds have grown
Now I look across
The old dirt road
And across the distant land
For miles I see
The empty fields
Where wood thickets used to stand
But the trees are gone
They gave up life
They were fell and burned away
And I hold a hope
Within my heart
That they’ll return someday
This little valley
Once seemed so big
But now it seems so small
And the town which once
Seemed far away
Seems now not far at all
Oh, the memories
Of yesterday
Come cutting like a knife
They bring back all
The bits and the pieces
That were forgotten in my life
A pile of clothes
In my old room
Sits in a closet all alone
They have no one
To play in them
For the little boy is grown
The tiles are yellowed
The walls have faded
And far away I’ve roamed
But no matter how far
I may journey away
This place is always home
And in my old room
An old bed still stands
My parents left it there
I walk through the door
And I see the past
As I breathe familiar air
This old house
Holds a lot of memories
Some were bad and some were good
And when Mom & Dad said
“Son, remember us”
I never really understood
You see, they knew of time
And of how it passes
And they told me to beware
“For memories will
Betray you, Son
And all will be changed here”
With my little cousins
Out in the yard
For hours we would play
Now time has passed
And I know them not
For we’ve gone our separate ways
Now I stand out here
In the evening sun
And I feel the summer breeze
And it blows warm
Across my face
And helps set my soul at ease
And yet still I see
The rustic remains
Of what life use to be
In my soul I wish
That for just one night
Time would bring it all back to me
The little games
We played as kids
We thought it would always last
Deep in my heart
I ask the clock
Why did the years go so fast
Well, my Mom and Dad
They are changed too
Time has taken them apart
And as their marriage died
Deep inside of me
Died a little piece of my own heart
In the little town
Where I ran around
With my friends in search of fun
There is no one left
That I once knew
They’ve grown up and they’ve all gone
In the town where I once
Knew everyone
So very few have remained
And I can’t help but wonder
Wherever they are
If they’re feeling the same pain
I look around me now
I see the old place
And what the years have done to it
And as I think of all
The years yet to come
Inside, I must tremble a bit
For I can’t help but wonder
As time goes on
And as age changes its face
When I come back home
In another time
Will I still recognize the old place?
Will time change it so
That these old hills
And all that is around
Seems strange to me
Will I think of it
As just another little town
And all of us kids
When school was cancelled
Would ride sleds across the snow
As I look around
I ask myself
Where did all those children go?
Are they lost in time
Are they gone for good
Why must we all grow old
If I shed a tear
For the children gone
Would it be considered too bold
Time has taken us all
So very far away
From each other and from our home
And rarely we return
To see one another
And the hills we use to roam
And I wonder why
When I left this place
In my heart I felt so glad
Only to return
After years had passed
And in my heart to feel so sad
But as much as things
May change with time
As it has changed from the start
This home of mine
Will always have
A very special place in my heart
And when all is lost
When all have died
Or when they’ve all left me
I’ll look up to the Heavens
And say “Thank you, Lord
For giving me…My memories”