~ Ray Nanney ~

“An Ode to Cliffside – and Greed”

We were the future, we were the pride,
We, the children of old Cliffside.
Things are different now, quiet and still,
Since greed emerged and took our mill.

Saturday matinee at the picture show,
Then off to the cafe we would go.
Hot dogs, hamburgers, nickel coke a must,
While ice cream at the drug store waited for us.

Not forgotten are the barber shops of Rob and Pick,
Where tall tales and friendly advice were abundant and quick.
Sitting above it all was our precious own clock
Perched there with the majesty of Gibraltar’s Rock.
That, too, has become quiet and still,
Since greed broke in and took our mill.

Oh, the bustle of Hamrick’s grocery
And Jackson’s store,
Now they’re gone to be no more.
The fish pond’s bubbling fountain waters no longer spill
Since greed snuck up and took our mill.

Once there was rattling and shaking of walls,
As pins went flying with the crack of bowling balls.
Now that has been replaced by a somber still,
Since greed passed through and took our mill.

Alas, even the houses no longer dot the hills,
Since greed crept in and took our mill.

So many things of the past are now gone,
Yet the memories are etched in our mind like stone.
Cliffside remains in our hearts; it always will,
Greed couldn’t take it when it took our mill.