How Did We Survive?

I was sittin' on the porch the other day a-starin' into space, Peerin' back thro' the mists of time when life was a slower pace. I was amazed recollectin' how my friends and I survived. Kids are so indulged today - we were certainly so deprived! Our Moms fed us breakfast, then said, "Now get outside and play!" We created our own simple amusements to while the day away. You'd round up your neighborhood pals for a lively game of ball. And we didn't need meddlin' folks to settle an occasional brawl! We drank water from the "crick" or if handy a garden hose. Went barefoot all summer long and wore patches on our clothes. Despite the warnin's that we'd get warts, we played with slimy toads, And raced our bikes, sans helmets, up and down the gravel roads! The only thing we smoked was harmless corn silk behind the barn, And gagged on Lifeboy soap if you cussed beyond a "darn!" We climbed trees and cracked our skulls fallin' off our stilts, And read "racy" magazines with flashlights beneath our mother's quilts! Today, kids need the latest gadgets to keep up with their peers; Blackberries, I-pods and cell phones protrudin' from their ears, And high definition TVs and computers complete with CD-drive! It really makes one wonder how us "kids" managed to survive! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired (© All Rights Reserved)