Show Me the Place, 37

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

37: 30 Church St.; Hudson, Ohio; 1997–present

We found a place—so close to town—

So close to coffee shops and such—

We once again took boxes down

And left a place we’d loved so much.

So close to us—the bank, the store,

The barber shop and dentist too,

The bookstore—and a whole lot more.

A move seemed sensible to do.

As long as we are mobile, we

Will stay right where we are—

We walk (we have mobility!)

And try not to employ our car.

The time will surely come, we know,

When we can’t live the way we do,

And so I hope that Time will slow—

Forget us (we’re a quiet two!).

Show Me the Place, 36

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

36: 60 East Pioneer Tr.; Aurora, Ohio; 1990–97

We bought an old and lovely house—

From 1865.

It had some problems—still, we would

Live there and still survive!

New roof—and wiring—plumbing, too.

(Don’t calculate the freight!)

But we just loved it—here we’d live—

And work—and hibernate!

And Harmon School was really close—

And Hiram College, too.

So Joyce and I had easy drives

To jobs we loved to do.

Show Me the Place, 35

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

35: 120 Aurora Street; Hudson, Ohio; 1980-90

The second home we ever bought—

An old one, which we liked a lot.

Across the street there from Reserve,

Where Joyce still taught (with brains and verve).

The house took lots of work—so old—

But we were young and somewhat bold

(Or foolish—there is some debate).

We forged ahead—oh, such is fate.

And then our son departed, so

(For college—yes, a time to go),

We thought about another place—

And found one—with a lot more space.

Show Me the Place, 34

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

34: Western Reserve Academy; Hudson, Ohio; 1979–81

I taught two years—had lots of fun—

But then a salary snit:

They offered me a sum, but I

Just couldn’t live with it.

And so I quit—and thought that I

Would find another job.

I didn’t—not at first—I felt

I’d joined Les Misérables.

I taught part-time at KSU—

Worked part-time as a clerk—

And knew throughout that gloomy year

That I had been a jerk.

Show Me the Place, 33

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

33: Lake Forest College; Lake Forest, IL: 1978–79.

We both had finished Ph.D.’s—

And thought that we would give a try

To college teaching (pie in sky?).

We took new jobs—should be a breeze.

But missed my Harmon very much

And left Lake Forest—just one year.

That life was not for me—so clear—

I missed the classroom, plays, and such.

But Harmon had no job for me—

No chance for me to go back there.

And so we tried a different fare—

A prep school—different, you’ll agree?

Show Me the Place, 32

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

32: 114 Forest Drive; Kent, Ohio; 1975–1978

We bought a house! Our very first!

A quiet street in western Kent.

It satisfied our growing thirst—

We understood what it all meant.

We finished there our Ph.D.’s—

We saw our son head off to school—

We loved the large, umbrageous trees—

We polished life, which was our jewel.

But then—a job in Illinois.

We took a chance and headed west.

We felt initially some joy—

But soon learned it was not the best.

We put in the concrete drive--and the hoop, where Steve
sank his first basket in early boyhood.

Show Me the Place, 31

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

31: Harmon School Classroom(s): 1974–78, 1982–97

The Harmon classrooms that I had—

Oh, my own special lily pad!

The carpet (orange)—the desks—the chairs—

The files—the cabinets—temper flares.

We read some Shakespeare—London, too.

We saw some films (such fun to view).

We learned some grammar, wrote a lot,

Did vocab words … oh, Camelot!

We took some trips—saw Cleveland shows—

And bus rides? Well, as each one knows,

They could be fun—more fun than class?

A step right through the looking glass.

Those years were special—first to last.

And far too soon it all had passed.

I was retired—but school went on

Without me. Much I loved … now gone.