Posted in Lymerick, March 2016

Shield’s Grocery

Limerick about a childhood memory
Original Poetry by Leona J. Atkinson ©2016
Photograph from Newport Township Historical Society


This post is just about one of those childhood memories that happens to pop into your head randomly…. and I thought it was worth recording.
Shield’s Grocery was a tiny one room grocery store in the small village of Wadsworth, IL. which was near where I grew up.
It was run by a local lady whose name was “Gracie Shields”, her mom had run the store before her.  It is no longer in operation, but my memory of it was every Sunday before attending the local church we would stop at “Gracie’s” store to purchase the Sunday Paper.  We never got anything else.  No one ever went inside except my dad, and we always stopped on the way to church not after church because then it was too busy and crowded because a lot of church people stopped on the way home.  Once home, everyone got their favorite section of the Sunday paper to read, mine of course, was the Sunday Funnies. 🙂

Posted in May Flowers 2013

Fields of Lavender

A Lavender Day
A Lavender Day


Though you are miles away

Your fragrance fills the air,
Drawing me to the place where you grow,
and spread your purple splendor as far as my eyes can see.

Lavender,  the loveliness of you should be enjoyed more than just one day in May.

Leona J. Atkinson
05-25-13