~ Gram's Recycle Farm ~

Now listen to my story
I want y'all to know
My Gram invented recycling
A long, long time ago

She had some recycle bins
At one end of the barn
With stuff to make most anything
She needed on the farm

Sticks and handles in the corner
And boxes of rags galore
For making all her dish towels
And rag mops for the floor

Now Grandpa drank the coffee
And Gram saved all the cans
She painted them so pretty
And planted flowers in them

Old tires she would cycle too
One hanging in every tree
From a rope of chain she saved
We swung on them with glee

Inner tubes,  remember them?
They kept us all afloat
At the old swimming hole
When we didn't have a boat

Feed sack dresses she would make
Then the scraps she'd cycle more
Making quilts for the bed
Or braid rugs for the floor

She bleached out all the flour sacks
Embroidered and then she'd hem
And stuff them up with feathers
Made pillows out of them

Denim coats and jacket
She invented them, stone washed y'all
She saved every inch of fabric
From Grampa's well worn overalls

She never parted with a shoe
Though the bottoms were full of holes
She used the upper part from them
To make some good half soles

Ashes she would save them too
And then she'd sift them
To get that real fine bit of dust
For polishing all her tins

She'd say, 'never toss out a button
Nor a buckle or a pin
As soon as you do, pity you
You'll be needing one of them'

Yards and yards of ribbon
From grave sites where she'd been
Washed and dried and pressed
She'd use them all again

Sacks and sacks of feathers
Hanging in the loft above my head
She washed and hung them up to dry
Then made some feather beds

You'd better eat what's on the plate
Now let me give you the scoop
She saved leftovers, recycled them
In tomorrow's pot of soup

Don't throw away sour milk, she'd say
That's what it's supposed to do
I'll put it in the churn you know
And make some butter for you

Bits and pieces of cornbread
Don't ever throw away
The croutons or stuffing she made
Comes from bread baked yesterday

She took the grease and fat
She saved from rendered hogs
And mixed and cooked and stirred all day
With ashes from a burned up log

Now I've got you guessing
Trying to figure this one folks
That's the recipe, dear friends
For Gram's home made laundry soap!

I 'm sure you must know by now
Where the recycling thing came from
Like I said, it was Gram's idea
Cycling stuff down on the farm

Yolanda Cohen © 2007