As far back as I can remember N my child hood as I can remember, going to Mississippi for the summer (the entire freaking summer)was a major part of my life. I can't tell you how much of a culture shock it was a city boy to survive in the country with out his parents around. I was probably the only kid at my school who wasn't looking forward to summer vacation. I mean on the last day of school at 3pm, my parents would be waiting in the car with my bags packed and ready for me to head to Prentiss, Mississippi. Man, it was so dark where I stayed that fish stopped swimming at night due to fear!
Darkness wasn't the greatest of my concerns. At my grand parents house is where all the real excitement went down! Several of my Uncles lived there, a few aunts and at least a thousand of my cousin all lived in a 3 bedroom house on a farm!! I mean I adapted to the Cows and pigs in the yard, the burning of all of our trash, the slopp bucket under the kitchen table that we fed to the hogs, the rooster at "my" window @ 5:55 am every day, I just couldn't get use to all of us having one bath room in that house!!! I don't think I ever got in the that restroom and not discover a new smell each time-lol!
As I said, living in this house was like being on a ghetto version of MTV road rules! I don't know if I would change a thing from my past cuz I love my family but I was literally at war on a nightly basis! My Uncles craved entertainment like the Roman gladiators so each night the cousins and I had to fight until someone gave up. We usually had bloody noses and sore knuckles but nobody cried and nobody complained. We knew what we had to do- in order to not face my Uncles wrath! This leads to the point of why I dont indulge in liquid libations and drugs. I watched almost nightly as my family members would drink, smoke and cuss like sailors. Everyone aged so much, that it truly taught me to make.....lets just say....I decided that I needed to learn from this time in my life. Yall know what I am saying!
A few years back, I re-visited down south with my family and got to see some of the old cousins and Uncles. It was an experience! Some of my cousins had served time, some were recovering from substance abuse but they was still a family. Heck, what family don't have these issues (black anywayz). We stayed at my Aunt's house this rip, and this was much better fit for me. The house was huge with all the toys one could need, such as swimming pool, hot tub, huge lake, Mercedes, Lexus, old school cars, limo's etc. We had a big party and everybody came out. Had a huge tent in your massive yard, It was like a family reunion, that my Aunt paid for.It was truly wonderful this time!
Looking back, I learned a lot from Mississippi, and it helped shape my views on how I am today. I still don't drank and have no desire. I think my kids won't ever drink either! Of course I don't think its anything wrong with drinking, I just have no desire. Heck for that matter to much of anything is bad for you, this is just one of them thangs that I just don't prefer.
Sure I could get deeper about my down south painful memories, like the time my grand father got all the boys up at 6 am and worked us like slaves picking pickles, sugar cane, watermelons and killing hogs! It would have been fun, but me being the ever watchful student, I saw my grand popz get paid from our labor! My loving grand popz changed our relationship for ever when he gave all us boyz a quarter for all that work we did while he sat in his Chevy Truck looking like a broke Joe Jackson. I politely told him to keep his quarter cuz Wardy was getting off this soul train ride to no where. He never liked me since then nor did I like him. But like I said, I could go on with these stories, but I will save this for another day!
I am Ward
I
No comments:
Post a Comment