‘An Old Man’s Wallet’ and Other Poetry by LaVern Spencer McCarthy

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An Old Man’s Wallet

His wallet holds the scraps of yesterday
with faded photos dearest to his heart;
A raffle ticket, notice of a play
attended when his daughter had a part;
A stub from some wild party in the rain
at college when he went where laughter led;
A tiny rosebud wrapped in cellophane
from his true love’s bouquet when they were wed;
A snip of ribbon done in earthy tones
from some dead soldier’s grave across the sea;
Such pieces of his life are all he owns,
each remnant bringing back a memory.

These treasures, and a letter from a friend
will hold his world together till the end.

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Conversation

A conversation has begun
where woods comprise a scene.
The leaves are talking to the wind
__in syllables of green.

The gossip flows from twig to twig
and by the garden wall
I hear the burly oak relate
__the wildest tale of all.

Why should I listen to the field
for what the grass might say,
when leafy tongues already tell
__the story of the day?

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Racing Home

In summer, when I was a boy,
__with Brother by my side,
we’d tramp across the cotton fields,
__or ramble far and wide
to gaze on sights the Good Lord made
__that left us wonder-eyed.

A campfire by the river’s edge—
__a fortress in a tree—
a log that made a pirate ship
__upon a stormy sea—
those were the things that brought us joy
__when we were young and free.

We had adventures by the score,
__for that was childhood’s way.
We laughed and dreamed of frogs and kings,
__but we could only stay
until we heard the dinner bell
__that called us home from play.

It carried faintly on the wind.
__Its message was sincere,
of nurture and a caring heart.
__With thoughts of love and cheer,
we raced along the forest trail
__to someone we found dear.

We did not stop for labored breath,
__or stubbing of a toe.
We might have had our boyish faults,
__but we were never slow
when Mama rang the dinner bell
__in days of long ago.

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LaVern Spencer McCarthy has appeared in Writers and Readers Magazine, Meadowlark Reader, Agape Review, Fenechty Publications Anthologies Of Short Stories, From The Shadows, An Anthology Of Short Stories, Visions International, Fresh Words International Magazine and others. She is a life member of the Poetry Society of Texas and National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc. She resides in Blair Oklahoma where she is currently writing her fifth book of short stories.