Abandoned School House

On the wind-swept Nebraska prairie sits a building in wretched shambles,
Surrounded by a sagging fence and overgrown with prickly brambles.
It was once a bustling one-room school house, abandoned long ago.
Its weather-beaten clapboards, I judged to be a century old or so.

Atop its cupola, swaying listlessly in the wind, was a rusted weather vane.
Eerily, at the whim of the wind, the school bell still tolled now and again.
Two ancient oak trees stood sentinel seeming to provide a guard,
To ensure that trespassers like me would value its past with high regard.

I warily opened the door, its rusty hinges protesting, to take a look inside.
Mice skittered across the dusty floor and cobwebs I had to brush aside.
There were well-worn desks, a blackboard and pot-bellied stove for heat.
To muse about its past and the ghosts of scholars of yore, I took a seat.

I pictured the schoolmarm who taught readin', writin' and basic math,
Who struggled to maintain order with imps who suffered her fearful wrath!
Little girls looked so prim in their pinafores and gingham frocks;
The boys wore knickers, buckled boots and gaudy argyle socks!

I could hear the droning recitations of pupils whose attention would digress,
To the ticking of the school clock anticipating the merriment of recess!
I noted relief on the teacher's face when at last the kids were released.
I sensed that she felt she had been nurturing a horde of wild beasts!

Copyright © | Year Posted 2019



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Date: 10/1/2019 8:24:00 PM
G'day Bob … looking back and feeling the nostalgia of times gone by brings forth so many memories, especially with school days in one teacher schools - thanks for the trip back in time Bob - Lindsay
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Hinshaw Avatar
Robert L. Hinshaw
Date: 10/2/2019 12:20:00 PM
Glad you enjoyed, Lindsay - thank you for commenting. I started grades 1-3 with one teacher ruling over all 3 grades in one room. Actually as a first grader, I paid more attention to her teaching the other grades and learned a lot from that. Bob
Date: 9/30/2019 10:06:00 AM
Bob, there is a place at the Junior Museum in Tallahassee where one can experience life in the simpler era you describe so perfectly. It's hard not to have thoughts about the people who once lived there. Outstanding writing, Bob. Definitely a fave for me! (You are so good at telling stories.) Hugs, Carolyn
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Date: 9/29/2019 4:53:00 PM
I love old buildings and the stories they tell. Thank you for recording this one :)
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Date: 9/29/2019 2:59:00 PM
Hello Robert Hinshaw, oh.. how i wish to see a one room school house.I have never seen one. Have a nice dday my friend.
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Date: 9/29/2019 2:46:00 PM
Enjoyed this trip back in time to that one-room schoolhouse of yesteryear, Bob. Thank, Gershon
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Date: 9/29/2019 3:35:00 AM
You describe this scene so perfectly I could image your abandoned schoolroom full again, with the teacher and the pupils, well penned Richard - a fertile imagination and a memory created that must have made you go back in time! Hugs and blessings, Jenn.
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Date: 9/28/2019 8:27:00 PM
You certainly took us there Bob, your imagery was superb and I can hear the clang of the school bell, quite eerie too, Tom.
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