THE OLD TIN TUB © By Becky

When I was young I remember the tub Where I would sit and go rub-a-dub-dub Made of tin, it was so big and so round When the water sloshed I loved the sound

In summer on the back porch it would be As if it was there and just waiting for me Mama would fill it with warm water then With greatest glee I would then climb in

My old tin tub with enclose me to clean My neck and my toes and I would lean Against the rim, look up at the night sky Get so relaxed could do nothing but sigh

Mama would pour the water over my hair Use Octagon soap while I just lay there Covered from head to toe with bubbles I would then forget about all the troubles

That a child could have when they are four I can't remember what they were anymore My bath finished Mama would then create Slippers from paper sacks she could make

To this day I can never remember how She made those slippers, wish I knew now They were so much fun to flop around in When worn out were thrown the trash bin

The old tin tub several purposes served Monday used for laundry, dirt was purged While hot water boiled in the old wash pot We scrubbed the clothes, there were a lot

Dark clothes were rinsed hung out to dry Whites were boiled in the pot after the lye They were so white would almost blind you Can't compare today no matter what you do

Took it to the garden and a tin can with holes To water the tomatoes and beans on poles All types of vegetables and some flowers too To counteract the bugs that came to do

Lots of damage to the garden and to dine On fragile young plants, worked real fine The tub was used to also gather the yield From the garden and also from the far field

With two handles we would share the load Was easier to carry down the old dirt road With bounty of such wonderful things to eat The sand puffing up all around our bare feet

On winter nights you would find me there In the old tub, clothes folded on the chair With the wood stove putting out soft heat My eyelids trying their best not to meet

Yes the old tin tub was a multi-purpose tool We used it almost every day was the rule It hangs on the back porch there the wall I remember it well from when I was small

Belljoye May 18, 2000





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