When I was little, girls and boys, it seemed, had more incentive.
We had few store-bought playtoys, so we had to be inventive.
Boxes, wheels, rope, spools and string - we saved all things discarded.
Until we'd need a certain thing - like treasures they were guarded.
Rope could be used for jumping, or a swing tied to a tree.
But best of all, a tug of war, the boys would all agree.
And stilts could be tin cans, with rope passed thru' four punched out holes,
tho' daring kids were apt to lope along on tall, wood poles.
With paper, and two strips of wood, and scraps of rags for tail,
plus, saving all the string we could, we'd make a kite to sail.
A dolly fashioned from Dad's socks, shoe buttons for its eyes,
was rocked in cradle (oatmeal box) by wee girl's lullabies.
A hobby horse was just a broom - no mane or tail behind -
but tots would ride them 'round the room, and never even mind.
We'd make our pies and cakes from sand, and use jar lids for dishes.
Then we'd pretend to eat them, and say, "My, they are delicious!"
And hoops from worn out barrels to roll, or marbles baked from clay.
Or bent pin, string and fishin' pole could make a small boy's day.
Folded paper made good fans, or an air-o-plane that soars.
A length of string and two tin cans? A telephone, of course!
Some girls made dollies of crabclaws, cornhusks or Ma's clothespin.
They'd dress them up in scraps of gauze and look at them, and grin.
Boys begged storekeepers for orange crates, and they became the start,
when mounted on old wheels, or skates, to make a fast go-cart.
These small bits of remembered lore that brought us so much fun;
we're glad we had so much before our childhood days were done.
- Lillian Arnold Lopez "Pineylore"
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