TheBanyanTree: Idora Park is Gone

[smack58 at nycap.rr.com]

When I was a little girl my parents used to take all of us kids (there were 5 of us) to an amusement park called Idora Park in Ohio where we lived at the time.  My younger brother, Jerome, did a search last week just for the heck of it and found out it had a sad, sad history and now no longer exists.  My mother always made it a big day with picnic lunch and all.  Those were the days when women did not wear slacks.  She was always dressed in a skirt and blouse and heels.  Daddy always sat on the picnic bench a bit anxious to be home because "the game" was coming on.  But mother ignored him and we stayed anyway and had some of the best times of our lives there 

When Jerome emailed me the story about Idora Park's demise I found this old poem I had written as a girl of about 12.  It's a bit simple but you'll get the point about that crazy roller coaster ride.


THE LAST ROLLER COASTER RIDE

 
Gleaming,               

beaming,

thrills

and spills,

Up the hills

and down.

 

Eyes

rise

to the skies,

brave the wind

take a spin

and round.

 

Chortle,

chortle,

feel immortal

while riding

way up high,

lift you to the sky

and down.

 

Down,

around,

dip and lift

bodies shift

around the bend

we're near the end

then stop.

 

Breathe,

leave,

body feels so weak

shaky to your feet

down the step

not finished yet

you move.

 

Giggle,

wiggle,

man behind the window

plastic see-thru window

buy the ticket

yes, you'll risk it

one more time

again.

 

Click,

tick,

basic chain link gears

underneath the chairs

climbing slow

here we go.

Click, click, click, click

BANG!

 

Crash,

Flash,

Watch the old car fly

flashing thru the sky

folks are all airborne

over fire storm.

Burning, churning

Gone!