Summers, we’d go to the pool
And swim for hours, I think
Having exactly change to buy
One snack and one cold drink
As long as we knew we’d be there
We thought to have the smarts
To break our purchasing into
Two glorious equal parts
We’d get drinks first, two hours in
Once the real heat began
And sip them slowly in the shade
A glorious cooling span
The drink dispenser dropped a cup
Then ice, and then the drink
We’d finish that, and then go back
To swim until we’d sink
Finally, as time had come to go
To leave and catch the bus
We’d use our last to pick our snacks
With no need to discuss
These machines kept candy cold
There in the Florida sun
And Zero Bars were what we’d have
Each of us savoring one
White fudge on almond nougat
With I think, some caramel
A maybe peanut, slightly chilled
I still remember well
An although almost 50 years have passed
And I sit in this tower
Whenever I think hot and tired
I still think “Zero Hour”
Love this. Funny how those memories are. I have a few of my own and reading this just reminded me that I need to write them down.
Beautiful ! I can taste them now – a vanished memory of Zero bars.
I like how you write about very mundane things in a striking way.
Do you sometimes find that old advertising jingles have embedded themselves in your brain? I think of “Kids with the Sno-Man SNOWCONE !” – but it all depends on what your age-grade cohort was. Mine was 70’s.
I have it stuck in my head now. I hadn’t heard that tune in forever. I occasionally still sing the theme to the show “Lidsville”, which is, frankly, just sad.
I don’t know if they were chilled — possibly not, because our pool’s entire bath house was like a barn built in shade — but cousin often got a Zero bar, and always shared on our walk back home through town.
They are so good.