Poetry Corner

THE OUT HOUSE RE-VISITED Who can remember that plain little shack That everyone had in their yard in the back? That simple little structure so lacking in charm Was found everywhere, in the city, on the farm The shape of the building and the moon in the door Told everyone passing what this place was for Infested in summer with spiders and flies, And the resident wasps were a stinging surprise Along came October when that building of plank Often fell victim to a Halloween prank The pranksters would come under night's dark cover And they'd push and they'd shove until it tipped over The fun, however, sometimes came to a halt, When the prank was rewarded with a blast of rock salt The outhouse owner, to keep its up-right state Loaded his shotgun and lay quietly in wait The blast was quite harmless as it entered the skin, But the stinging salt told you you'd committed a sin In winter, of course, a different story's told You'd trudge through the snow and sat in the cold One shivered and shook and wished for some heat As they sat their "behind" on the cold wooden seat And should your tired old mind be lost in a fog, Remember the paper often used was a Sears catalogue Though the outhouse has passed it's really not dead, It's no longer an 'Outhouse'' it's a "Bathroom" instead Some enterprising fellow with a thought to be kind Said, "Let's do it inside, folks probably won't mind" So inside it came and it's just down the hall, And among other comforts there's a nice shower stall A sink and a tub are a part of the mix, Which means there is plumbing sometimes to fix As we now sit in comfort remember that today, Instead of calling "Honeydippers" we flush it away Don't mention the problems you now may face On the joys of the outhouse you can't make a case So keep it in memory, that plain little shack, And remember it kindly, but don't wish it back Jerald Wheatley Submit your original poetry to newsroom@advertiser-tribune.com to be featured in Poetry Corner.