WHEN I WAS A CHILD GROWING UP
BACK DURING 1940'S WE OFTEN ATE SUPPER AT NIGHT,
WE HAD NO ELECTRIC BACK IN THOSE DAYS
WE ATE OUR MEAL BY KEROSENE LIGHT.

THESE WERE PRETTY COAL OIL LAMPS
HAD A BOWL MADE OF GLASS,
HELD ABOUT A PINT OF KEROSENE
DIDN'T BURN AWAY - BEFORE EVENING DID PASS.

THESE WENT BY TWO DIFFERENT NAMES
YOU COULD BUY IT AT THE STORE,
KEROSENE AND COAL OIL IS THE SAME
DIDN'T MATTER WHICH ONE YOU ASKED FOR.

IN WINTER IT GOT DARK EARLY
WE OFTEN HAD TO STUDY BY LAMP LIGHT,
READING AND SOLVING MATH PROBLEMS
DIDN'T SEEM TO HARM OUR EYE SIGHT.

THE WICK HAD TO BE TRIMMED
THE GLASS GLOBE CLEANED EVERY DAY,
THE KEROSENE MADE OILY SOOT
THIS LEFT THE INSIDE A CLOUDY GRAY.

SO EVERYDAY IT GOT POLISHED AND SHINED
A DAILY HOUSEHOLD CHORE,
BY NIGHT IT TWINKLED LIKE A STAR
AS WE STUDIED AND ATE BY ITS LIGHT ONCE MORE.

THERE WERE AT LEAST ONE FOR EACH ROOM
IT MADE THE DARK GO AWAY,
BUT WITH TODAY'S ELECTRIC BULBS
I WOULDN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO A KEROSENE DAY.

I'M SURE BACK IN THOSE DAYS
WHEN DARKNESS CAME RIGHT UP TO THE DOOR,
THE KEROSENE LAMPS WERE LIT
IT DIDN'T SEEM SO DARK ANY MORE.

A KEROSENE LAMP IS VERY DIM TO SEE BY
DOESN'T SHINE AS MUCH AS A FLASHLIGHT,
TO USE ONE TODAY - I CAN HARDLY SEE
NEVER HAVING ELECTRIC - IT PROBABLY SEEMED BRIGHT.

MY GRANDPARENTS WENT "TO BED WITH THE CHICKENS"
BACK THEN THAT SUITED THEM - THEY COULDN'T SEE,
JUST A KEROSENE LAMP AND FIRE LIGHT TO SIT BY
THERE HADN'T BEEN INVENTED ANY TYPE OF TV.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A TELEPHONE OR REFRIGERATOR
NO INDOOR PLUMBING WITH WATER THAT RAN,
JUST KEROSENE LAMPS TO STUDY BY
NOT EVEN A COOLING ELECTRIC FAN.

A MAN WORKED FOR A FULL DAY'S PAY
RECEIVED NOT MUCH MORE THAN A DOLLAR PLUS A DIME,
THINGS WERE SCARCE - A WAR HAD BEEN GOING ON
WE DIDN'T REALIZE OUR PARENTS WERE HAVING A HARD TIME.

WE SURVIVED - DIDN'T KNOW IT WOULD GET BETTER
THAT OLD KEROSENE LAMP IS HERE TO STAY,
BUT NOW IT SETS IN A VERY HONORABLE PLACE
WORTH A LOT AS AN ANTIQUE COLLECTIBLE TODAY.


Written...........August 29, 2008
Most of my growing up years, we did not have electric, no one
around us did, so the kerosene lamp was used and used quite often.
Our only source of light at night. It did make extra work for my
Mother to have to clean it daily...but all her work was hard at that
time. We didn't have lights in the school house, as I recall.
Electric came to our neighborhood about 1953, the first thing we
got was a fridge...having ice and keeping food cool was wonderful.
that old Frigidaire lasted over 30 years.


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