Lil' Country Girl in the Projects

I remember...
waking up, warm mornings, listening to these birds with this one of a kind song. wishing I could mimic the lyrics. sun shining bright through the cracks of the shades. you know... those kind that you can only pull up. frizzy edges. wash your faces and brush your teeth.

I remember...
waking up to smoked sausage, rice, and scrapple mixed in eggs. didn't care too much for the feast, but the biscuits and molasses was the ultimate, ultimate. blocked cheese and canned meats. grocery shops at Winn-Dixie and new inventions of the little machines activated by motion sensors, to spit the coupons at you. picking sweet potatoes and strawberries. licking the cake bowl. dropping little rocks in ant holes. books of food stamps and pictures of Jesus. fields of cotton and tobacco warehouses. jumping ditches. walks through the woods.

I remember...
Saturday morning cartoons. only to await the commercials so that I can write out my "Christmas List"... or my "Summer List"... or my "what I want" list. "TGIFs" when Urkel was a star. playing outside for hours on end. coarse dirt between my toes, black bare feet. cement that felt like cotton, and grass that was green for days. watching out for the little stickies, blowing dandelions and chasing butterflies. wishing on "red birds". running from wasp nest and admiring the bee hive in the big tree. naming caterpillars and catching lightening bugs at night, making the flickers into earrings. endless breezes and "just right" temperatures.

I remember...
singing in the fans. unforgettable scents of Tide, Joy detergent, Dial soaps. lye soap from the golden days. Hand-made. Grandma would say, "you bet not get this in your eyes!".. "hanging out clothes". country dialects that were music to my ears. lard and fat back. earthworms and ladybugs. sticking cicada skins on our clothes. pineapple cakes dressed in coconut, 3 layer chocolates, banana puddins. sweet potato pies and lemon meringue. I remember the old lady neighbors, Miss Liz and her husband Roy, Miss Almeeta. a pair of skates to share between us 2. I had the "right" skate while she had the "left"

I remember...
big cousins teaching me to ride my bike. hide and seek. now and laters. 25 cent Hug juices. melted ice cream and dirty knees. broken swings that we used for jungle gyms. I remember, "bubble gum-bubble gum-in-the-ditch..." walks to my auntie house. child discussions of what we were gonna be when we grow up. new discovery of cuss words. popping wheelies. catching frogs. listening to the clock radio and watching cartoons on the VCR. falling asleep on "the stories" and dialing out on rotary dial phones. switches and housecoats. tobogans and Tony the Tiger's, "they're grrreat!", "coo coo for cocoa puffs", and "silly rabbit, Trix are for kids"

I remember...
nabs and coca-cola bottles. bottle openers affixed to the freezers so that you're able to pop the cap before leaving the store, fresh-out-the-freezer-first-swigs. refreshing! peanuts and sunflower seeds. lil debbie cakes. moon pies and sugar daddys. everything's made from "scratch". castor oil. milk of magnesia. pepto bismol. gas stoves. Grandad's ramp. the snow of 88. or maybe it was 89? hurricane hugo. a/c's in the windows and grandma's old scanner. blue carpet. the blue recliner. mix-matched christmas tree ornaments and merita bread. the little TV on top of the floor model. hair grease and ponytails. crisp creases and tucked-in shirts. jacked-up pants and socks with sandels. playing in Grandma's clothes and ancient jewelry. $2 bills and half dollar coins.

I remember...
feeling safe. not a care in the world. long summers and short winters. the first time not crying when I scraped my knee. the not so average child's summer vacations in DC. "Alf" and "Punky Brewster". "Cricket" the Robot. Cabbage Patch Kids and Care Bears. I remember the only rose bush that bloomed once a year. bright colors and headbands to match. birthdays at McDonald's. princess dresses. my first book, "will you walk me?" 9 p.m. bedtimes and late night PBS. the year the Redskins won the Superbowl. I remember this. I remember that little country girl in the projects.