When Time Was a Friend

I was listening to oldies wishing the songs would not end They carried me back to when time was a friend A time when I wore a younger man's smile Culottes, pedal pushers and love were in style We rode our bicycles all over town Put a flash light on the handlebars when the sun went down Sometimes we'd gather in Dutch Hill Park Play on the swings until well after dark We smoked Luckies and Camels because we were men Filters were for girls way back then There were fights and laughter, sometimes a beer A childhood lived without knowing fear Mothers raised children, fathers worked hard Wash was on clothes lines in the back yard Somehow the bills got paid when they were due Dads stopped on the way home from work for a few Sometimes there were days without a penny to spend Neighbors were family when time was a friend We cherish those memories as we get old Memories are more precious than silver or gold I close my eyes say a prayer and to sleep I descend Then dream of the days when time was a friend