A No Story History
By GC SMITH
A self made man is never made by self
but pushed and prodded to become that one,
that individual, the product of those who came before
A self made man is the hodgepodge
of inherited genes, of living history, of his culture
and, oh yes, shaped by happenstance and chance
A self made man may think himself unique
but likely shun the mirror image that reflects
all the shaping of men who came from times before
A self made man does not reflect, nor genuflect
in homage to the history that backs his being
but rather pounds his chest like a Silverback gorilla
So, could I tell a story about the bits and pieces of a life
that is the sum and substance of the past and the present;
no, for I think that would take the self made man I’m not
and an old one:
Age 12, Circa 1950
By GC Smith
The chill of winter
The warmth of bread and soup
Seeing icicles depending from the roofline
Wondering if they’d fall and pierce my heart
Peddling newspapers in sub-freezing winter
Thawing frozen fingers under cold running water
Hearing the sizzle of my wet gloves
Tossed on the coalstove surface to dry
Smelling room filling aroma of chicken soup
Simmering with tiny bubbles for many hours
Tasting the hot broth full with vegs and noodles
Tearing warm crusty bread and dipping it in the liquid
Dark settling early on winter's night
Blankets piled high, sleeping contentedly
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