There is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States—every man, woman, and child—is in action and will be privileged to remain in action throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives and in our daily tasks. Here at home everyone will have the privilege of making whatever self-denial is necessary, not only to supply our fighting men, but to keep the economic structure of our country fortified and secure during the war and after the war.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s radio broadcast to the nation, April 28, 1942


Friday, April 29, 2011

See You in the Funny Papers

Gary


SEE YOU IN THE FUNNY PAPERS

The Sunday funnies were
always my favorite
part of the weekend.
We’d give the paper to dad
then Norman and I would
lie on the floor and look
through the comic strips.
We’d take turns reading.
Norman was real good
at doing the voices.
I concentrated on getting
the words right.

Now that Norman is away,
Dad and I lie on the floor
and read together.
Then we get the scissors
and clip comics and jokes
from newspapers and magazines.
When we have enough
we glue them into
a scrapbook and take it
down to the hospital.
Medicine for the
soldiers’ funny bones.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Cartoon from author's personal collection.

4 comments:

Alex said...

Diane, this poem is so spot on and making a scrapbook is exactly what a kid might do during WW II. The funnies were an important part of the war, on the home front and the front lines. That is why I run the Sunday Funnies once in a while to give readers the flavor of the times. Thanks for these wonderful poems.

Diane Mayr said...

You're right, the funny pages were something that kids looked forward to.

I have a comic book poem coming in a month or so. Keep coming back!

Marion Eldridge said...

Another gem with the perfect artful touch at the end.

I'm Jet . . . said...

I agree with Marion. Nice touch at the end.