You Are My Sunshine

SATURDAY CENTUS

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/2011/08/saturday-centus-you-are-my-sunshine.html

Jenny's theme this week strikes a very personal chord with me.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

'You are my sunshine'.....There's a song

That strikes a chord with me.

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Long ago I had a sister,

Just one in my family tree.

She was a good deal older;

She left home when I was young,

But down through all the passing years

I've heard her praises sung.

She had a lovely nature,

And a really delightful laugh.

Yet all that now remains of her

Is a faded photograph.

For she died fifty years ago,

When she was in her prime.

And I think of her more often

With the passing of the time.

She was a nurse in Scotland

And that was where she died,

And I travelled there with my parents,

To be there at their side.

The church was full of nurses

Who had come to say goodbye,

And many were overcome with grief;

I know I saw some cry.

And, suddenly, they started singing........

'You are my sunshine' was the song.

And, in those days, secular music,

Simply didn't quite belong

At a religious service.

Which was solemn and subdued.

A pop song sung at a funeral!

Surely that was crude!

They told me, after the funeral,

That that was her theme song;

The patients used to sing it

Whenever she came along.

She brought sunshine to so many;

It's tragic that she died.

And her sister now pens this poem

With a sudden rush of pride.

*

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THE ACME WRINGER

(Another piece of nostalgia)

It happened like this..... a display was held of ' an up-to-date invention'.

The date was 1936 (I now am drawing a pension!).

My Mother and my Aunt were there with cousin Mike in tow,

When they saw the event was advertised, they thought that we should go.

Until this time a wringer had always been worked by hand;

A very tiresome, tiring task, as you can understand.

Now came the Acme Wringer, worked by electricity,

And everyone was excited at this bold modernity!

Mike and I were naughty brats! We raced around unchecked!

The whole show was in danger of being really wrecked!

We chanced upon a Wringer which we lovingly regarded,

The man in charge had gone to lunch! The whole thing was unguarded!

It was rolling idly by itself as a sort of demonstration!

To the two young brats this vision was an open invitation!

'Put your hand in there' said Mike. 'See if it goes through!'

I put one hand on the rollers! Then I foolishly put two!

Sure enough they did go through, but my arms went through as well!

Fortunately someone saw and rang a warning bell!

By the time assistance came my way my screams were very loud;

They drew the attention of my Mother, somewhere in the crowd.

When she saw my predicament she fainted right away!

To see her darling's arms like that .....rolling on their way!

Someone came with a hammer and broke the machine in two

And soon my poor little mangled arms were very much in view.

The setting had been 'Blankets' and I was a skinny child,

And so my injuries, I'm glad to say, were tolerably mild.

Still, I had to have time off school and I had to wear two slings.

'Silly girl!' my mother said.......among lots of other things!

*

If it had occured in modern times consider the situation!

With lawyers rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of the litigation!

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