Yesterday’s Song – A Poem by David Ritter

Yesterday’s Song

There’s a tender melody
My memory loves to hear,
It drifts between the heart and mind,
A whisper in my ear.
I sit out on the swing at dusk
Beneath the autumn sky,
And hum the notes of yesterday
That left without goodbye.

When grass stains marked our growing knees
And sunshine brushed the gray,
When friends would knock upon the door
And ask, “Come out and play,”
When bikes became our chariots
And freedom turned the wheel,
When laughter danced ’round the block
And joy was all we’d feel.

When vinyl spun in distant rooms,
And drive-ins lit the night,
When summer days slipped quickly by,
And stars looked twice as bright,
When Christmas carols echoed
And the snowfall seemed to glow,
And coats were stacked upon the bed
At Grandma’s long ago.

We talked on phones for hours,
Then life called out our name.
Our eyes were full of wonder
Before the grown-up game.
Those days have come and gone now,
I cherish their memory,
For though they faded from my world,
I recall the harmony.

Each time I hear an old refrain
Or find a photograph,
I’m carried back to who we were,
And it stirs a pleasant laugh.
Yesterday still lives in me,
A song I once had sung;
Its tune reminds my seasoned soul
Of days when I was young.