Memory Lane: Frances Wolfe Haight, a Kane resident who was born in Mount Jewett, shares her poetry with us regularly. With her newest work, titled “A Little While Ago,” she shared memories of her childhood in Mount Jewett, where she was raised by her grandparents as her mother passed away when Haight was one week old. Ms. Haight remembers growing up on Anderson Street, which according to her, was “THE street for kids, and we could always find a gang of kids to play games.”

Her newest collection is her 51st Booklet that she has self-published, dedicated to her grandmother, Jennie Elizabeth Shirey Wolfe. “She gave me a lot of love, discipline when I needed it and a lot of teaching. How I miss her now. Thank you, Grandma,” Haight writes. Below is one of her poems for our readers to enjoy.

One Day in the Woods

Our Dad took us to the woods,

He started making us a whistle.

While he was carving, a bull appeared,

And Dad dropped it like a thistle.

He put our hands together,

And said to run home very fast,

Don’t look back as you hurry,

And don’t cry because this won’t last.

We did cry as we ran,

Thinking Dad was dead for sure,

But he sidestepped that old bull

And ran on home for a cure.

We were so happy that he was there,

And the bull stayed among the trees,

We didn’t get our little whistle,

But we loved our Dad, if you please.

———

So Good

My friend and I went to the woods,

To pick strawberries for desert,

We picked a lot but ate some

Although Grandma would be alert.

A hot biscuit and some fresh berries

With cold milk on the top

Oh so good tasting and so yummy,

I wish we could never stop!

Grandma also made some jam,

With the berries so very sweet,

To spread a spoonful on our bread,

Was easy and oh, so neat.

One bite here and then another,

The treat soon as gone,

The taste lingered with us

As sweet as a lullaby song.

Never to be forgotten,

Always a special treat,

The lust of wild berries

As fast as we could eat.