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Once upon a time

When everyone wore a fedora
And smoked fifty dollar cigars
Ate in the finest of restaurants
Mixed with the brightest of stars

When life was a little bit gentler
With tennis and tea on the lawn
And everyone dressed up for dinner
Then went out to samba till dawn

When today was once tomorrow
When the future seemed so bright and clear
When life was packed full of adventure
How I wish that those days were still here

But here in this one room apartment
With cobwebs invading my brain
My memories my only companions
How I yearn to be there once again

Editing stage: 

Comments

I bookmarked this.....nuff said.................stan

Well Stan,

it looks like I may have done something right,

John

author comment

Romping along on each word and I didn't trip up once Shazbat.

Did EVERYONE? Ann.

"The image of yourself which you see in a mirror Is dead,
but the reflection of the moon on water, lives." Kenzan.

Loved the words that clung to my memory of reading fairy tales about the "Good ole Days" lol
I enjoyed the walk into yesterday though I shall not dwell there, as it is no longer real, but to be able to write about it in such a way is great, Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

Ok, so maybe not everyone wore a fedora but there was a time when hats were commonplace.

Many years ago I met an elderly women (she would have been 90 ish) she had spent a major part of her life travelling the world as the daughter then the wife of a diplomat. I spent a couple of hours with her and she told me lots of stories about all the people she had met at the various embassies, she had spent a lot of years in Cuba, during the 30s and 40s and had hundreds of photos of her time there and the people she had met. Sadly, she had ended up living in a council flat in South London where she had been robbed of virtually all she had possessed, the only things she had left were photographs and memories.

author comment

And no hats!!

I feel she MUST have worn hats, I love hats, but sadly there are few to be seen, those that have the courage to wear them, either to show off, or just to have a good feeling of being a little aesthetic, are few.

In my father's youth (1898) they all wore hats and feathers floating, just look at that tiny most beautiful painting of Vermeer, I think the title was woman in a hat, or something like that, wow what that hat does. He was a master of colour too. We are not so taken up with the aesthetic sides of life these days, holey trousers and creased jackets, okay to feel relaxed is good, but not always.

My Great Aunt Dorothea wore a white hat and a long white skirt for tennis! The women who first climbed mountains wore long skirts, I am not sure about hats.

My sister still dresses for dinner, in the evening, her husband had to, because of being on the farm etc during the day.

And tea on the lawn, with thinly cut buttered bread and home made jam. Tea in fine bone china teacups with gold edged floral designs inspired by the orient.

Lets have a cup of tea, Darjeeling or English breakfast? The clink of the cups and spoons, the little finger held high as the tea was lifted to the lips in a ceremonial ritual, and like the Japanese tea ceremony, only polite and happy conversation allowed.

Love and happy memories from Ann who still drinks tea from china cups (but not with my little finger held up!!!!)

"The image of yourself which you see in a mirror Is dead,
but the reflection of the moon on water, lives." Kenzan.

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