Verda Lee Allen

My first girlfriend was Verda Lee (who I still miss), feels OK, though I'm sad now, we never did kiss, her folks left town, no notice, could not stay in touch! Both too young to write letters, and time's not a crutch that the aging find easy to use without standing! Our poem flowed easy, its tone not demanding! I'm Roy; she is Dale! (1) Did we play-act that age, that one day we might marry? Let me fill the stage with the players I can, for our mothers did meet! I remember that day still! For me, it was sweet. On the porch of our house, both moms sat, talked, drank tea, with my playhouse (cut out), entertained Verda Lee, though no more than a crate made of cardboard Dad brought from his store in our town. Doors and windows, mom wrought in its sides with a knife, it's roof flat though, no gable. With Kool-Aid to drink; in our playhouse one table, an orange crate (top-down), with a tray on rough slats (as we sat on the floor?) Did we mimic moms' chats, or did we seek to eavesdrop on what words betray? That I hoped I might kiss her, I cannot gainsay! It seems likely some eyebrows got raised at our school. And from what I've learned since then, I'd say that's still cool! Smart kids do have a talent for making a mess, but with how our folks screw up, what child would confess? Look, unsupervised kids will be kids who find trouble! Our kids pick stuff up but have heads full of rubble they can't yet assimilate. Love made her leave? If that's true, I've uncovered a new cause to grieve though it's hardly my fault! Lord, the first grade's so tame! Not to quibble but "Verda Lee's," awesome girl's name! Brian Johnston 15th of July in 2020 Poet's Notes: (1) Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were a famous Hollywood couple who played married roles in Western Movies when I was a child!