When Family & Friends were wrapped around each other
by Billly Joe Fudge

Mostly though, I wax nostalgic for those days:
when family and friends were wrapped around each other in tight-knit,
walking-distance communities,
when we all had the best-interest of others at heart,
when we went to the root cellar and the smoke house instead of pushing and shoving at the grocery,
when we could drive the tractor or ride a mule or walk to the closest store for a pack of Lucky Strikes or a twist of Mammoth Cave or vanilla or coal oil,
when popcorn was shuffled back and forth in a covered pan to prevent scorching on the top of the sheet-iron stove,
when sorghum molasses were mixed with popcorn to make the ultimate can't get out of the house treat,
when homemade fudge was spooned into cold water to see if it was ready to set on the back porch to cool and harden,
when neighbors would trudge through cold and snow to play Rook and Checkers while the kids played Hide and Seek, Hide the Thimble and I Spy, and oh yes, did I mention,
"when family and friends were wrapped around each other...?