I Remember, I Try to Remember

I remember, I remember,
My childhood domicile—
A proud apartment building
In the pseudo-Tudor style:
Three rooms, a bath, a hallway,
And a spartan kitchenette
(In every room an ashtray
With a burning cigarette).
I remember, I remember,
The radiator's knock,
The old dumbwaiter in the hall
Where roaches ran amok,
The fire escape (our "balcony"
In the stately oak tree's shade)
Where I would sit on summer days
Imbibing lemonade.
I remember, I remember,
On the street three floors below
Good Humor bells in summertime,
In winter, crunchy snow;
And on the roof two floors above
The smell of hand-washed clothes
Hung out upon the line to dry
(In wintertime they froze).
I remember, I remember,
The days of World War II—
Its air-raid drills and rationing
With tokens (red and blue).
I recall Dad's console radio
And the voice of FDR,
But today I can’t remember
Where the hell I parked my car!

© Bob McKenty

"I Remember, I Try to Remember" previously appeared in Light Quarterly.