Fourth of July Reno Nevada 2017
Fourth of July Reno Nevada 2017
(From The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class)
1. Fourth in the City
As sweat began to bead off our foreheads,
my Mom and I in our respected seats,
my hands did roar with push of airy beats,
a noise that drove in silences used treads.
Where I was reading essays on poetry
and her newly acquired novel on her lap,
the heat whose fingers lured me to nap
when she was reading her mystery.
Arrived with all her luggage from her trip
to spend the day in my new city home
with iced tea and our company to sip
an empty space where marriage was undone,
our moments up and down as metronome.
2. Memories of the Fourth
I miss rituals and routines of past
to wake early and prepare the children,
to load the car to celebrate again,
to create memory with hope to last.
With folding chairs and canopy to share
our cooler full of waters to be drunk
on liberty our feelings far from sunk
a patriotism seen in parade.
But liberty does not change with each new year,
a definition largely due to place,
a shaded wooded grove without a fear,
a city where we are free to find worth,
a town to live in with dignity and grace.
3. American Independence
I dreamt the stories mother told me
a stop in middle Kentucky corn
where feast upon wooden table adorn
every mile on road to New Jersey.
She told of home with solid foundations,
an America built on families,
on yards shaded by enormous Oak trees,
Always feeling welcome without caution.
To end her trip on porch of New Jersey house,
a story of immigrants from Russia share,
a neighborhood now filled with its own wealth
and iced tea, my Mom in springtime blouse,
she says this journey made her more aware
of miles and miles outside her home and health.
- I Miss the Dodo - July 19, 2021
- Dedication to My Readers - July 12, 2021
- Let’s Head Back to the Beach - July 5, 2021
Lovely memories of family and its importance in our lives. I too miss many rituals established by parents and the family as a whole. Most of mine are now past except for distant cousins and such. But I try to instil that connection with my own kids and grandkids. Great work, Jamie, very much enjoyed.
Wonderful reminiscing and sharing of cherished memories. I enjoyed reading this, Jamie. Well done.
Thank you Tony and Phyllis I am glad you enjoyed the poetry. Tony I feel rituals are what keep us focused when struggling in the adult world. One day I would love to sit, enjoy a cup of coffee, and talk to both of you about your rituals and how they have shaped you. Jamie
wonderful memories and thank you for a looking into the Fourth of July in Reno.
Thank you for sharing your memories and rituals of family Jamie. When my parents were alive we upheld certain rituals every year that continued from our childhood days. We still keep some alive now that they have passed, but others have sadly fallen by the wayside. Lovely poetry.