Tag: Family

~The Particulars of the Privy

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Haibun, Poetry1 Comment 
The family outhouse wasn't just thrown together willy-nilly. Oh, no. It was an object of pride. A showcase of engineering and ingenuity and a symbol of prosperity. There was a true science used in the construction of 'the throne'. 
It had to be built using only the best quality lumber. Generally, with 2" x 6" floor joist, cedar walls if possible but most likely just good white pine. Usually, the roof was just wood, but a fancy privy could have shingles and the la-ti-da privy might have had a tin roof. The roof slanted away from the side with the door towards the back to allow maximum rain roll-off. Also, you needed less height to sit on the crapper bench than you needed to drop your long-johns.
A standard structure was about 6 feet wide x 5 feet deep with the roof measuring approximately 8 feet tall at the highest point. Of course, those measurements would depend on whether it was your simple one-holer design or the more elaborate two-seater. A good coat of white paint would definitely set yours off from the neighbors and become the envy of the whole county. Don't make the door fit too tightly and remember to cut a crescent moon shape in it for proper ventilation and the only source of light.
A good supply of Montgomery Ward or Sears catalogs and a fly swatter were luxuries fit for the queen.
the important things 
will often go unnoticed—
until you need them

***To You She is Mother***

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Free Verse, PoetryLeave a comment

bringer of life,

giver of love,

sculptor of minds,

painter of dreams,

the calmer,

the soother, the rock…

Holding you through the tears

of mistakes done,

when dreams won’t come,

when milestones are won.

Inspiring you to begin,

to reach the end,

and then start again,

flying higher,

going farther,

moving faster…

She cherishes you,

holds you,

knows you,

at times scolds you,

but you know she will always,

love you…

She is your

unyielding,

invulnerable protector…

Yes,

To you she is mother.

To me…

She is fierce,

soft,

gentle,

lover,

fighter.

inspiration,

imagination,

stimulation,

motivation,

admiration,

rolled into one package…

In that package, a brain,

brilliant,

calculating,

supportive,

unselfish,

forgiving…

In that package, a heart,

caring,

sharing,

loving,

generous

compassionate,

tender,

affectionate,

supportive,

romantic…

In that package, a soul,

the spirit of

an angel’s grace,

where evil,

has no place,

and even the saints would cry tears,

over her purity…

In that package, her hands,

a touch that can,

calm the rage,

that boils inside of me,

exposing my insanity,

steering me.

from the brink of,

catastrophe…

In that package, her arms,

that wrap around me,

bringing harmony,

peace,

contentment,

love,

reality…

To you she is mother…

to the world she is my wife…

to me she is,

my life…

Sleeping Alone

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Haibun, PoetryLeave a comment

even in a crowd one can still find solitude—silence is overrated

My children got me a subscription to a service called Storyworth. It sends me a weekly prompt, usually something about my childhood, to help get those creative juices flowing. Of course, the end result will hopefully be to produce a kind of diary that might leave some small insight into who I was back in the day.

One of those prompts read, “when you were a child, did you have to share a bedroom and possibly a bed with your siblings?”

Wait a doggone second guys. Do you mean to tell me that sleeping alone when you were a child is a real thing? Man, when I was growing up back in Wakenda, I recall the biggest house we ever lived in had four bedrooms. I know that a four-bedroom house might sound like a mansion but when you throw in the fact that there were more kids than you could count without using your toes, plus mom and dad, that sure didn’t leave much space.

Heck, even after I joined the Army, depending on where I was stationed, I had to share a bedroom with 4 to 12 other people. Then I got married and spent each night of my life sharing a bed.

After all those years, I’m not sure I could sleep a whole night without the sound of snoring and an occasional fart drifting out from under the covers.

No Regrets – Poor Man’s Steak

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry2 Comments

Together, my parents faced two world wars, the great depression, floods, fires, and some things that would bring most people to their knees. Imagine just where I would be if they had just decided that things were too rough and chucked in the towel. At the time, I didn’t think they had a lot to give.
But looking back, I’m amazed at how much I got.

steak’s what I wanted
bologna is what I got—
never went hungry

~Who Knew~

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Free Verse, Poetry1 Comment

Back when I was a child,
they said I was poor,
but I did not know it.
Until one of my teachers pointed at me and said,
it’s okay for you to show it,
and that you have no cause for shame.
I should have asked her then,
but my mind didn’t comprehend,
and to this day I still think about what message
she was trying to send.
Ashamed of what— I never knew,
so I lived my childhood
without a clue.
Maybe there was something,
or someone I should blame.
But I was never one to follow the rules of the game.
I just smiled and said okay,
then I walked out to join my friends,
on the playground’s monkey bars.
I was the king of the monkey bars,
and I was not ashamed of that either.