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Memories
By Frank Hulse
Confession is good for the soul. So here goes:
Something I’ve been gnawing on, off and on all day like a dog bone with just a little more flavor.
I can remember my combination lock from my freshman year in college.
I can remember what the locker room smelled like. It was directly adjacent to the indoor swimming pool so it was primarily chlorine—but there were more than a few other smells I won’t describe here.
If I see a post or a picture from a high school classmate, I can immediately hear her/his voice.
I can remember church camp out at Osage Hills State Park when I was in 8th grade and showing off in the swimming pool, more or less like a peacock when it fans out its train.
I can remember going on a snipe hunt with all the kids and one of the girls stealing a kiss (given freely).
I can remember the smell of frying bacon and coffee brewing on our first day of vacation and the new striped t-shirt, freshly laundered, ready to go, and corn on the cob from a street vendor in Estes Park, Colorado.
I can hear Barbra Streisand singing The Way We Were (Memories).
I’m happy to have these powerful memories . . . but I wish I could remember where I left my cell phone.
Yep, a mind like a steel trap, rusted shut and stuck in the 60’s.
William Frank Hulse III is a native Oklahoman, born and raised in the Indian Cowboy Oilman community of Pawhuska. He began his college career at Central State College in Edmond but enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968. While serving in the military Frank completed his undergraduate degree with the University of Maryland. Upon his return to civilian life in 1975, Frank was employed by Phillips Petroleum Company for almost 30 years. Since retiring he plays guitar and writes.
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