Nostalgia – Neil Meili

Neil Meili

Zen Cowboy Poet & Freelance Philosopher

Skip to content

Home
Contact
Neil’s Books
Poems
Kind Words
A Neil a Day Poems

Category: Nostalgia

Strapping Youth

Audio Recordings, Nostalgia, Ranch Life / tagged Education, Violence / March 6, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

A one room school
was a one teacher school
when she was good it was good
and when she was bad it was awful

Those were the days
of the strap on the hand
and a mix of shame and pain that remain

We all had rifles at home
but never thought to bring them to school

Small School Pictures

Audio Recordings, Nostalgia, Ranch Life, Remembering / tagged Childhood, Education / March 4, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Seven students and eight grades
with the inkwells covered to save the braids

Desks with dad's initials carved years ago
and lessons meant for other ears
more interesting than your own
as you crammed to sting
the older kids in spelling bees

Recess, with garter snakes, gophers and mice
which girls who were being chased, and teachers with just opened desk drawers didn't think were so nice
and a big teeter totter on the north side high enough
to get a bobbing glimpse of one of the big boys
hand outstretched for a well deserved strap

In winter, a pot-bellied stove in the back of the room
with a big tin shield to keep us from burning ourselves
any lapse in supervision adding to its decor as we melted wax crayons into modern art on its silver sides

The colours still fresh

Alchemy

Audio Recordings, Nostalgia / tagged History, memories, Story Telling / February 22, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The way to change an age
from base metal into gold

is to have lived in or read about
a time better than the present

And polish it and polish it
until it shines a blinding shine

And talk about and write about
so all will rue not being there

Though the result you may get
may not be the one you hoped

but their wishing you'd go back
with eager offerings to help you pack

The Innocence of Snow

Audio Recordings, Cattle, Cows, Family, Farm, Nature, News, Nostalgia, Ranch Life, Remembering / January 28, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Winter
was winter
and all the world

When the only light was lamp
and the only power God
and the innocence of snow
lay soft on lad and land

When floating breath of kin and kine
was pure and white as well
and mankind too as far as we could tell

Antennae daily now
break down the door with news of war

Winter on the ranch Kin = Family & Kine = Cattle

Snow Blind

Audio Recordings, Nature, Nostalgia, Ranch Life / tagged Winter / January 27, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Snow of the backs of cattle

snow on the shovel lifting
snow on the sled hill squifting

snow on the ice road surfing
snow on the shed roof aching

snow in the memories binding
snow in the diamonds blinding

Don’t Slam The …

Audio Recordings, Farm, Nostalgia, Ranch Life / tagged Home / December 4, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

A screen door hangs
between screened porch
and indoors in our Austin home

As such it is of little use
in keeping flying pests at bay

but the creaky creak it squeaks
brings back summers on the farm
and woe be to he who does it harm

Reincarnation Milk

Audio Recordings, Family, Nostalgia, Remembering / tagged Connection, Flavor, Food / November 22, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

This only works for one generation
but memories of food can conjure them back

Every lemon meringue
in the world has mother in its color and clouds

Any key lime pie, Longhi's in Lahaina before the fire

All moussaka anywhere is Momma's on Mykonos

And even Carnation milk
which I never liked, brings Dad to the kitchen table

Where Has All the Music Gone

Audio Recordings, Nostalgia / tagged Catholic, Faith, Music, Tradition / October 27, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Latin mass with
the rhythm of a censer swinging

The King James bible
where the psalms were still songs

Would I hesitate at the pearly gate
to confirm that harps were still in tune

Fun in the Kitchen

Audio Recordings, Family, Nostalgia, Poems about Poetry / tagged Feeding, Generosity / October 15, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The joy
I get putting
a poem on your plate

My mother got
three times a day
and fed more by it

Author’s parents in the new ranch kitchen

Trying to Imagine an Imaginary Friend

Audio Recordings, Family, Nostalgia, Ranch Life / tagged Childhood, imagination, Play / October 10, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

(for the Marcil Brothers)

Never had one as a kid
which could be attributed to
a lack of imagination or space

I make up it was the latter
every house we had was plenty full of and we did make up stories after dark
and take the parts of local heroes
who drove big trucks and drove them fast

If any of the sibs had a pretend co-pilot
they never let on as they careened
full speed and filled the room with
kicked up gravel on their way to fame

Post navigation

← Older posts

Search

Neil’s Latest Book Available in Paperback and Large Print Edition though Amazon worldwide

Social

View zencowboypoet’s profile on Facebook
View @meilineil’s profile on Twitter
View neilmeili’s profile on Instagram

Want More Poetry? Sign Up Here.

Sandi Hebley on April in AustinApril 14, 2026
😊😊
Sandi Hebley on The Snakes Were EasyApril 11, 2026
LOL! Love this one!
Evie shafner on MagdaleneApril 6, 2026
Beautiful
Sandi Hebley on Another for the CatApril 1, 2026
🤣🤣🤣
Eda Lishman on How I Lost My Faith – In PreachersMarch 3, 2026
An epic moment for seven year olds! Wow how many lessons can you have in one incident? And a few…

Audio Recordings
Cattle
Cowboy Poetry
Cows
Environment
Family
Farm
Flight
Haiku
Limerick
Manure
Nature
News
Nostalgia
Personal Growth
Pilots
Poems about Poetry
Ranch Life
Relationships
Remembering
String Too Short To Save
Travel
Uncategorized

Tags

Aboriginal Aging Alcohol Art Art & Artists Autumn Beauty Birds Childhood Communication Connection Covid19 Death Dogs Dreams Faith Family Fear First Nations Friendship Gratitude Grief Healing Hope Horses Humor Loss Love Mother Music Nature Perspective Poetry Prairie Psychology Ranch Life Regret Religion sensuality Solitude Spring Voice Dialogue War Winter Wisdom

©2015 Neil Meili. All Right Reserved.

Theme Designed By ThemeVan | Powered by WordPress

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email

Name

Website