by Cpl. Robert L. Cook
Jan. 1942~Sept. 1945
What was it like in Grandma’s day?
She didn’t have much time for play
Her days were long
With things to do
She worked much harder
Than any of you.
She packed and pumped
And carried and spun,
It seemed her day was never done.
She was a child of yesterday
When kids did not just run and play
They had a lot of chores to do
And school work was important, too.
She learned how to cook and sew
And how to make biscuit dough
And when she had time to sit
Was when she would also knit.
When socks got a hole in toe
She could mend them just so,
And when the water pail
Ran dry
She would go to well nearby
And draw enough to
Last the day;
That was just her way.
She didn’t have a telephone
Or a radio to call her own,
There were no such things
In her lifetime
But she got along just fine.
She played at games
With her few friends
And chatted ‘til the day would end
About the things they loved the most,
And about which they could boast.
Of recipes and needlework
Or the general store’s
New handsome clerk.
And so she grew to womanhood
And knew just where she stood,
She had a mind that was her own,
So strong of mind and body, too,
And a heart that was true blue.
She married when she
Was of age
And raised her family
Like a sage
And kept the Sabbath
And the holidays
And found respect
And so much love
And carried it all
To heaven above.
Such people make fine Marines.
* * *
About the author: Robert Cook served with Reg. Weapons Co.(2d-2d) from 1942~44, at Guadalcanal
and Tarawa, during a 33-month overseas tour.
