A clean “Memory Slate,” brought to this earth,

Shining and new on the day of our birth.

A special place to chronicle and store,

Experiences formative, new and enticing.

Many of them significant to ourselves alone.

The bantam, downy and white,

Taught me love of creatures, their importance in life.

Family members taught my place in our family story.

Prayers learned at Grandpa’s knee,

Laid down my foundation of faith, God’s story,

My place in His family too.

The bee hives in the yard,

Served to set me on the horticultural way.

The busy little creatures, pollinators of blossoms and flowers

Producing beauty, food and nasty stings!!

They taught me about bee boundaries and some caution too!

Stories told around a peat fire on a Winter’s night,

Brought back bygone times and heroes of yore.

My great exposure to story-telling, history too.

Walks through meadows and fields,

Brought a sense of the changing seasons,

First-hand information on how food was grown.

Very soon my slate with memories started to fill,

Time for my mind to process, catalogue and store.

The most significant, in a special place.

More space, more room for yet more memories still. 

Anna Kelly. Oct. 7^th, 2016 

*Illustration: "A Village in Achill,” by Francis S. Walker - 1905