Vince Suzadail Jr. Poet Rhyme

The Drug Store

Driving through a small mining town
Angle parking in front of an old drug store
Memories flashed back to my childhood
Those days are gone forever more

Sitting on a stool at the soda counter
Large cherry coke for a dime
The place had its own kind of smell
A memory lost in time

Hamburger was more than worth the price
With a toasted bun and an onion slice
A metal Coca Cola ad hanging on the wall
For a nickel you could buy a red sponge ball

Fountain soda tasted mighty good
Floor was clean and it was made of wood
Get a prescription filled and something to eat
An ice cream soda was a special treat

They had Squirrel Nut Zippers and Mary Janes
Red hot dollars and candy canes
Good n' Plenty and crackerjacks
Magazines and paperbacks

Baseball cards came with gum inside
The owner flew our flag with pride
I looked to the sky and heard myself say
Lord, I'd trade all I own for yesterday.

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James Foulk July 27, 2008 at 4:26 PM Hey let you and me build a time machine and go back there. i remember those days as i lot of my poems tell. i remember malts for 25 cents and comics for a dime and baseball cards for five cents. i really loved this one it was real good. thank you for reading my poems and for your comments.

Marycile Beer July 16, 2008 at 6:18 PM You certainly have brought back a lot of memories this evening, Vince. I sometimes wonder what our children and grandchildren will remember when they get to my age. I have a lot of memories with them maybe that will be a part of their memories too. God Bless, Cile

Michael Jordan July 11, 2008 at 8:20 AM Vince - this poem took me way back - those days are gone - You know we used to fight when we were kids but never heard of one classmate killing several others for no reason at all - fantastic poetry

Carrie Richards July 9, 2008 at 6:21 PM Your memories of the "good ole' days" are so much like mine. Guess it comes with wisdom in our later years. I enjoyed this trip into the old drug store with you. Reminded me too, of the old 5 and 10 cent stores, that no longer exsit...they were all so wonderful and filled with such magic, especially for us as kids. Soda fountain treats......oh my...can taste them now! I'd trade all I own for simpler times, just as you said! Thanks for letting us take this trip with you!!!... Carrie

Joseph Spence Sr June 14, 2008 at 2:07 PM This is certainly a trip down memory lane. I can see the images so clearly. This piece is really memory refreshing. The rhyming pattern gives the piece a special spark. I really like the last stanza the best. Great job! ~ Joseph

Marycile Beer June 13, 2008 at 8:55 PM Vince, our Drug Store was call Fishers. It was just down the block from our grade school and we loved to go in there when ever mom had a reason. My you really went back. God Bless, Cile

Angela Crabtree June 13, 2008 at 2:53 PM I love this, Vince. Where did Mary Jane have such accessibility? LOL You are very talented and your way of expressing your past with feelings of loss, is excellent combined with the marvelous flow. Love, Ivy

Ahellas Alixopulos June 13, 2008 at 10:22 AM Hey, I've been there, the only thing I missed was the abbazabbas, but I do know that place, well done

Kristin Reynolds June 12, 2008 at 6:36 PM Vince, my sweet friend, everytime I read one of your 'back in the day' poems, it really makes me wish I could go back in time just to know what that must have been like...it just sounds devine. I too, was reminded of back to the future! Grwat minds, john! A beautiful, vivid write, full of love for the good old days I never ever got to know...sigh...at least there's poetry like this...love ya man, Kristin XO

Crystal Seals June 12, 2008 at 5:07 PM Hello Vince this poem was picture perfect and you are telling your age ha ha ha.Remembering the good ole days brings about a appreciation.Although I wasn't around for the hamburger being so cheap. I enjoyed your writtings. B BLESS Crystal

Sharon Winter June 12, 2008 at 4:25 PM I can actually smell the bubble gum as I unwrap those game cards. Loved those cherry cokes and red hot dollars, and so much more. What an incredible write this is. Makes me want to go back too, in a desperate way. Sigh. Oh well. This is as close as we are going to get I guess. Thanks for the memories Vince. Love, Shar

Ronald Bingham June 12, 2008 at 9:56 AM Vince, darned if that didn't nearly put a tear in my eye. I wished those days had never ended. Back then people earned everything they got and squeezed those pennies till they hollered. You never heard of ADHD and all the things that plague our youth these days. I wished my grandson could experience what life is to me suppose to be like, not play stations and tvs but getting outside with the gang, not the crypts either. Your friend Ron

Gary Jones June 12, 2008 at 9:49 AM This poemreminds me of an old town I lived in during my youth. It was called, Red Bay, Alabama. It was almost exactly as you have so eloquently described here in this piece. Now, it is riddled with scumbags on crack and meth. My Mom still lives there. They way she describes it, everyone has gone insane. Great Write. Thanks for your comments. ~Gar

Michael Degenhardt June 12, 2008 at 9:05 AM We had a place like that unti lthe mid 70s, then gone. First went the soda jerk, then the counter. I certainly miss those days too. great rhyme and the imagery brought me back as well. Michael