Kindergarten 1971

by Jeff Krider
(Ohio)

I can think of no smell that remotely resembles my kindergarten room back in 1971. I recall my own son Ryan, as I walked him into the very same room in 1998. The smell of musty books, carbon copies, this I may have imagined since they were from an era long gone, Miss. Elston's perfume,her wool sweaters. All was forgotten until 1 day in 1998 as I walked Ryan into his class. The smells instantly and powerfully reclaimed memories that had been filed away most of my life. Puff the Magic Dragon was always the one that I enjoyed singing. How had I forgotten that? The smell of Crayola crayons, Elmers glue paste, mixed with the smells of unwashed classmates,(I had not yet learned to judge others) dirty clothes, aromas from the kitchen next to us, and watching for the milk lady who brought our cartons of milk each day. I laughed as I left Ryan that day. I remembered Johny swallowing his 1st loose tooth as we raced to drink our milk the fastest.