'KICK THE CAN'

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KICK THE CAN ©

When I was young, How I loved to 'Play the hero',To be the one Who set the others free; But, now it's rough, I'm just 'Another zero',It's hard enoughTo just take care of me...

Yet, memory still retains the sight,Of 'Standing up' for what was 'Right',Of 'Taking turns' at waiting for the swing;The 'Sleeping out' and 'Marshmallow roasts',The stories we told about 'Terrible ghosts',Deciding which girl 'I liked the most',Then, giving that girl 'My ring'...

Of having a friend 'To stay over',Of finding a 'Four leaf clover',Folding the paper to make a 'Hat' or a 'Fan';"He found a nickel, the lucky bum",Sharing the 'Popsicle' or 'Bubble gum',"Ready or not, here I come..."Running to 'Kick the can'...

Of building a 'Fort'Way up in a tree,Of painting a signFor 'Boys only',Knowing the 'Crawdad'Was going to pinch your hand;The afternoon swimmingDown at the 'Creek',The 'All day suckers',And 'Sharing a lick' ,Wishing 'To heck' To grow up 'Real quick'...Lord, I'd love another chanceTo 'Kick the can'...

The above poem was published in 1977 in Beacon©, a "Limited Edition" (1,000 copies) rhyming poetry book with black on white watercolour illustrations. In 1979, I had an "Attack-of-conscience" which caused me to remove the remaining ~ then selling like hotcakes ~ copies from the Portland, OR marketplaces that I had established...LOL...just prior to ordering a 5,000 book, 2nd Edition printing. If you are one of the original Beacon© buyers, your Beacon© book is worth ~ at least ~ three times what you paid for it then. I wish that the author was worth three times what I was then...LOL... Yes, I am the still the original Russ Miles.

While I was 28-years-old, when I published ' KICK THE CAN ', I was a kid when I lived it. Today, at 58 years of age, I am once more a kid ~ living in the year 1959 ~ when I read it. I am still transported back to a more simple time, when Studabaker speedometers went to 160 mph, problems were few, delights were many, and the world was ripe for my taking.

Roy was my hero, nobody died in a fist-fight, and Dale was what every bride should be. As with Rusty and Rin-Tin-Tin, good always prevailed over evil, Washington could "Not tell a lie," and Dwight Eisenhaur had to be honest, or else he couldn't have been elected president. "Right?"

Both F. Kennedy and Vice President Nixon were honest too. But, Kennedy was a Catholic and Nixon was a Quaker. like our one channel only (CBS) TV, everything came down to black and white. I didn't know what Quakers believed but I'd heard that they didn't go to confession. Most of the mean kids, that I knew, didn't go to confession either. My mom said that, "Confession is good for the soul." I wasn't even mean, but I went every chance that I got. There were always other "Things" that I needed forgiving for.

I thought that I had better ask my school teacher about what Quakers believed. At recess, when when he was headed to the out-house, I stopped him under the 10 commandments he'd posted above the door.

"Is it true that Quakers don't go to confession?" I asked.

"Yes, that's true, Rusty," he replied. "Like most Protestants, they don't pray to , either. Here, take this bell and ring it for me in exactly seven minutes. I sure hope that there is some toilet paper out there."

Wow, I thought. No wonder most of these kids are so mean. They don't pray to so she's not praying for them. I decided right then and there that I'd tell people to vote for Kennedy. I wanted our next president to be getting all of the help he could get, with the Russians and all...

For those of you unfortunate grown-ups that have never played Kick the Can, it is a game much like Hide and Seek. The difference is, when you are found, the "It" person must run back to the coffee can and jump over it saying, "Over the can for !" If Allan can get to the can and kick it first, then , , and Judy who were caught, are set free to hide again while the "It" person recovers and returns the coffee can to the same place...LOL... The first person who is caught becomes the "It" person when all of the hiders are captured. You can still teach Kick the Can to your children and grand kids. They will love you even more for their new, non-video game.

As for me, I hope that this Beacon Verse series of ezine articles will afford me another chance to Kick the Can of worms away from some who are wishing to escape the wayward wigglies.

Russ Miles is a poet, ezine article writer, and author of the mystery~thriller, reality based, novel FOR SALE BY OWNERS:FSBO available via Amazon.com, & Nobles, and other booksellers. In his "FSBO" novel, Russ used a dozen of his best songs ~ as written and sung by his Long-Haul, moving-van-driver character, "Red Haring." Another of the characters, "Bud ," is disabled by MULPIPLE SCLEROSIS. Please visit his personal website http://MilesBooks.com for remaining copies of his early poetry books, MS information, and other features and issues of interest.