Each year at Christmas from 1962 -71,
I’d walk the 2 miles
To the downtown stores,
With $60 in my wallet, which dad
Had given to me
To get some presents for mom.
For that amount in those days,
I’d hunt  store racks and shelves
Umtil I found  for her –

– a girdle                                         a bra
a blouse  for her job                     a nightgown                    

2 pairs nylon  stockings

It would take
   All of one Saturday afternoon
Until
I found the nicest
For the best prices.
The gifts were
The same every year.
As I recall that decade
Of Christmas mornings,
Mom was always glad to
For her new gifts
of the same old things…