There are many qualities I admired about my father - his unmatched carpentry skills, his quiet patience and his well developed sense of fashion. OK - most of you might have caught on by now that I am being a little sarcastic, but only in jest and only in the most respectful way. In all honesty the thing that always amazed me most about my father was his memory. I obviously did not inherit this mental ability as I still have trouble remembering my own phone number. I think my brother Bob inherited this skill as he has more of the gift of telling a tale or spinning a yarn than I do.Dad was not an educated man in the formal sense of the word but I can honestly say he was one of the smartest people I ever knew. He was good at telling jokes and stories and could recite poems that were as long as your arm. Dad was never at a loss for words and he shared his talent with people from all walks of life - doctors, lawyers, politicians and even a few Indian Chiefs.
I think Dad did most of his reciting while enjoying a drink or two but I also remember him helping me memorize 'The Wreck of the Hesperus' when I was in grade school - all 22 verses. And he did a fine job of reciting 'Barefoot Boy with Shoes On' at a family gathering for my grandmother. No preparation or crib notes - he just stood up and let the words flow.
But the poem I remember Dad reciting the most was 'The Face on the Barroom Floor'. The last time I recall him doing it was at a neighbor's house on New Year's Eve around 1972. I was so inspired I even made a brave attempt to memorize the poem myself a few years ago but I think I got as far as "Twas a balmy summer's evening....." which you may or may not know is the first line of the poem. If only I could hear Dad recite it again - I know I could learn it this time. Well - that is what this blog post is all about, Charlie Brown.
I have had an old cassette tape labelled "Perley Reciting Poems" that has been kicking around my dresser drawer for years. It is a tape he made and was planning to send to his friend Stan Mouncy who had moved up north, but thankfully he never sent it. Stan's loss was my gain...
I have looked at the tape for many years but I always stored it away and promised to listen to it another day. In fact I was kind of hesitant to play it because I thought it might be painful to hear Dad's voice after all these years - but boy was I wrong. It was wonderful and I listened to the whole thing.
And now I have uploaded the file for all to hear and enjoy - but be warned, the tape is in pretty poor shape with lots of noise and tape hiss but if you listen you can hear every word....
Click on the screen below and listen carefully. For those of you who can't see the screen below you can watch it on YouTube here and you can even read the words here. Maybe we should all be like Dad and learn to recite a poem or two and now is as good a time as any. Its easy - what are you waiting for?
'twas a balmy summer's evening....
