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Class of '66

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Originally published: 16th September 2020

This poem was given an Honourable Mention in Brian Strand's "COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE" (11) Poetry Contest and

2nd = in Carolyn Devonshire's "VANISHING OLD OR NEW FOR A PRIZE" Poetry Contest.

I'm 4th from left on the 2nd row from the back! My teacher, Mrs. Kenyon (on the far left of the photograph) - and to whom this poem is dedicated to - died in September 2020 aged 98.

I remember so well the friends that I made when childhood was wrapped in blue sky but I cannot remember the last time we played - and whether we all said goodbye.

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John Watt

Date: 4/12/2022 3:26:00 PM

Gary, I am most struck by the phrase "childhood was wrapped in blue sky". This describes my childhood perfectly. I wish it had occurred to me much earlier to seek out those teachers, coaches, or parents of friends who made it their goal to teach, protect, feed, and provide activities for the likes of me. It becomes all the more poignant when we become aware someone has passed away and I end up telling their children how much their father or mother meant to me. To have a friend that you have known since childhood that endures well into middle age and beyond is a real gift. I love what you wrote here and the photograph you included, I truly enjoyed this... thank you ~ John

Gary Radice
Date: 4/13/2022 8:02:00 AM

Thanks John. I remember so much from my school days. I look back now and remember the great times. I often wonder where every one is today and get a little sentimental about the times. Thanks for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Cheers - Gary

Brian Strand

Date: 10/4/2021 1:10:00 AM

Nostalgia Gary...ever the same ..only the dates change(there is a mine of poetry awaiting thereun)

Gary Radice
Date: 10/4/2021 3:53:00 AM

You are so right Brian. PS: The guy with an arm sling on the front row went on to create the Kids' TV show "The Tweenies". Cheers - Gary

Christuraj Alex

Date: 8/11/2021 4:51:00 AM

Wow. Great! Congratulations on your win!

Gary Radice
Date: 8/11/2021 6:15:00 AM

Hi Christuraj! Thanks for the 'Wow' :) I'm glad you like it. Cheers - Gary

Constance La France

Date: 3/2/2021 3:14:00 PM

Gary, congratulations on your win in Carolyn's contest with this excellent poem _Constance

Gary Radice
Date: 3/2/2021 11:36:00 PM

Thank you Constance.

Terry Flood

Date: 3/2/2021 1:12:00 PM

Smashing write Gary. Almost a page from my own schooldays. Congrats on your placement. Terry

Gary Radice
Date: 3/2/2021 1:24:00 PM

Cheers Terry - Much appreciated.

Carolyn Devonshire

Date: 3/1/2021 11:38:00 AM

I didn't even go to my last class reunion because those closest to me in high school either died or just didn't care to attend. Such situations leave us wondering if we said goodbye and let these friends know how much they meant to us. Nice writing, Gary. Congratulations on a second place in the contest! Best wishes, Carolyn

Gary Radice
Date: 3/1/2021 11:46:00 AM

Thank you Carolyn for the placement and for hosting the great competition in the first place. Cheers - Gary :)

David Kavanagh

Date: 1/15/2021 4:57:00 AM

So good Gary, simplicity sometimes brings out the best emotions, brilliant poem The photo actually has me trying to remember the names of my old school buddies, I still meet quite a few of them now and then, cheers David

Gary Radice
Date: 1/15/2021 5:40:00 AM

Thanks David. I'm glad you like it. I knew what I wanted to say but had difficulty putting it together and then..the words just flowed. For me it captures those long hot summers of the school classroom, field and playground. Cheers - Gary

Old buck

Date: 11/26/2020 2:05:00 PM

Gary: Well done. I'd be the kid in the middle of the first row. Short pants and no smile. A few years ago I tried to look up all 27 class mates. Found most but won't try again. Most were uninterested and that was disappointing to me. Oh. Well. Time marches on. Thanks for sharing a wonderful moment in your past with all of us on the soup. oldbuck

Gary Radice
Date: 11/27/2020 1:55:00 AM

Thank you Old buck. I often view life as a series of chapters and the misty eyed long hot summer chapters of childhood seem to have existed in some other world. Sorry to hear about your disappointment. I'm sure after half a century I too would be met with the same response by a majority of my ex school friends. People eh? Cheers - Gary

Lonna Blodgett

Date: 10/12/2020 8:27:00 AM

So love your work!

Gary Radice
Date: 10/12/2020 10:05:00 AM

That's very kind of you to say so Lonna. One year in to PS and there are several themes that keep cropping up in my work - and not always intentionally. The naivety of childhood versus the reality of adulthood is certainly one of them. :)

Sara Kendrick

Date: 9/22/2020 6:56:00 AM

Congrats on your winning work. Sara

Gary Radice
Date: 9/22/2020 7:01:00 AM

Thank you Sara - it's appreciated.

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 9/19/2020 10:31:00 AM

this is wonderful. Is it in the current contest. I hope it wins. I have a similar picture from around early 60's grade school!!

Gary Radice
Date: 9/19/2020 11:45:00 AM

Hi Andrea! Thank you for your great comments and encouragement. This poem got an HM in a recent competition which I was very happy about. When it comes to PS competitions, I just love the ride.

Regina McIntosh

Date: 9/19/2020 5:36:00 AM

WOW. This is a incredible write. I absolutely LOVE it. It's a fave. God bless you dear friend and fellow poet.

Gary Radice
Date: 9/19/2020 11:41:00 AM

Hello Regina and thank you very much for your lovely comments. The poems that are personal to me, I find, are the easiest to write.

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 9/18/2020 2:43:00 PM

This is perfect. You were a cute kid. Thanks for your visit and comment.

Gary Radice
Date: 9/18/2020 2:49:00 PM

Thanks Richard. :)

Eve Roper

Date: 9/17/2020 6:26:00 PM

I really like that you wrote about your class when you were young... We tend to forget those years or I did. Maybe because we moved around a lot.

Gary Radice
Date: 9/18/2020 1:21:00 AM

Thanks Eve! I can name everyone on the photo from memory 54 years on...Yet I have difficulty remembering the names of my neighbours :)

Sam Kauffman

Date: 9/16/2020 4:15:00 PM

Plaintive write, Gary! Your well chosen, well crafted words, are as succinct as the memories of the friend's faces passing through my mind! A great thought to ponder now and in the future.

Gary Radice
Date: 9/17/2020 12:30:00 AM

Sam, yes. There were smiles from me at first but they were then followed by waves of sadness looking at this photo. "Where are they now?" The sunny naive world of childhood seems the very long time ago that it was. :)

ilene bauer

Date: 9/16/2020 1:45:00 PM

beautifully expressed, gary, and having the picture just adds to the enjoyment...

Gary Radice
Date: 9/16/2020 1:54:00 PM

Hello Ilene. Thank you very much for your lovely comments. Cheers- Gary

Daniel Turner

Date: 9/16/2020 10:24:00 AM

Gary, this is an exceptional piece. I too wonder, at times, about all of the friends I had in my youth. I know a lot of them have already passed on but i think my Sr class was 100+. I know we never said goodbye.

Gary Radice
Date: 9/16/2020 10:33:00 AM

Hi Daniel. Thank you very much for your comments. This is actually a poem I published on P.S. some time back but deleted, rewrote and the result is what you read now. I'm happier with it now. It's more of a personal piece. Cheers - Gary

JAN ALLISON

Date: 9/16/2020 10:02:00 AM

aww what a poignant piece Gary ... how life moves on at a pace and i wonder how many of your classmates are around too. hugs jan xx

Gary Radice
Date: 9/16/2020 10:12:00 AM

Thanks Jan! :) I keep in touch with 2 people on the photo via Facebook. I also know that the guy on the front row wearing the arm sling went on to invent the UK kids' TV show "The Tweenies" :) Sadly the girl to the right of him died of leukemia at the age of 17.