Memories ~ Re~Visited


Memories of my home town and dear friends and family kept flooding
over me like a constant waterfall. I have not been "home" in many years
and the desire to visit old places and sweet faces kept calling to me
incessantly. I made that long journey back to my roots and found myself
searching for the familiar lush mountains that curve around Pa. and
somehow makes one feel secure in the sheer height of them.


I placed flowers on loved ones grave sites and looked out over the
rolling hills that were dotted with colorful Autumn leaves. As I sat
down on a grassy knoll, I became amazed at the height of the evergreen
trees and the pine cones hanging heavily from the boughs. Somehow
they seemed much less tall when I was there before.


After walking the streets of the tiny town, I noticed there were street
names now where once, none could be found . The church looked much
the same but even it had a different name. Some of the houses were
weathered and stood forlorn while others had new paint
and stood so proud.



As a young girl, I used to walk along a single gauge rail road track and
pick wild strawberries and blackberries when in season. One could smell
the delicate scent of those berries and I still remember of the juice
running down my chin and over my hands as I ate my fill of them.



The rails have been long gone and new houses dotted the land where berries
grew abundantly. I listened closely for the familiar sound of that steam
train and it's lonely whistle but it only sounded in my mind. I did find the
very old and deeply weathered "Old Mill" where my boyfriend,
(now husband) and I used to walk to as we were dating. No water ran over
it's rusty wheel now.



Folks say that you can never go home again and I suppose that is true, but in
my mind and heart, I will always be able to go back in time and remember
the good things of my youth.


Ann Marie Fisher
© October 4, 2007