Sensations of the Mind: Volume 1

By Thomassine Ringo Keels

I see mothers love of poetry, so she and her sister Anna Bell are called upon to do recitations. Me, I could never stop writing poetry. For no reason at all, Id write, toss it aside, and write more, feeling I just had to get it out of my system as young as I can remember. My thanks to Mr. Everly, whos memorable poetic performances will be with me for an eternity. I can still see him moving across the small church stage, turning to the side, uttering a few lines, turning again to face his audience before uttering his last stanza, and taking his final bow to a standing applause. I loved it! To my parents, in deep appreciation, especially motheryou were always there for us. I thank you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496964076

Thomassine Ringo Keels

Born in Long Beach California, Thomassine is the second of the three children born to the late Thomas and Dorothy Ringo. She is the widow of Carl J. Keels and the mother of one child Ramona Keels Rowe. Thomassine, Tommie as she is affectionately called, was raised in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and educated in the Pleasantville school system and attended the New Jersey College of commerce. Having lived in various places in the United States being a military wife, they settled in Fairfield California for almost thirty years. There she was employed by Commerce Clearing House for many years, being the only one of four African American graphic designers in the country at the time. She later opened her own successful graphic design business, Delta Graphics, before returning and moving to Summerville, South Carolina. In her writings, Tommie has turned events, situations, and experiences into short stories and poems that many can relate to. She has written and self-published much of her work. A series of books under the title of Sensations of the Mind, another book called Visions in Verse, and a short story entitled Big Mable. Tommie loves the Lord and has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal savior. She enjoys Bible study, group reading, and discussion about the Word of God. She enjoyed talking to people, writing about people, and giving to people. Black history was another joy of hers, as well as researching her ancestry and making family tree.

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© 2015 Thomassine Ringo Keels. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/23/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6408-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6407-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015900628

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Section One

HISTORICAL PONDERINGS

James

Black Woman Survives

Magnificent Warriors

The Unpainted Shanty

To The Rescue

Drums

The Quiet Scream

Nurturing

What Price Hate

It’s Proof

Name Games

A Miracle

STEALING AWAY

IMMIGRATING

Section Two

BEHAVIORS

Discoveries

Gossip

Lending

Lessons Learned

Looking Good

Repeat Performance

Roaming

Save The Fetus

Secrets

Treat

The Jumper

Young And Old

Morning Cereal

Preparations

Brain Stuff

The Right Cut

The Best

Familiar Line

The Gang

Do Yourself A Favor

Life’s Real Aggravations

The Shrink

What Would You Do?

Moments

Sleep

Just A Thought

Of Course

They Are

Seeing You

On Second Thought

Anger

The Older Generation

The Disappearance

Daydreams

A Treat

The Curse

Double Standards

Wealth

White

I’m Grown

Thoughts

Chores

Early Reflections

Pull The Plug

The Carrier

The Quiet Corner Of My Mind

Human Sensations

Advice

Tears

Section Three

CHARACTERS

Mysterious Man

Voiceless

Nate And Bo

White Mane Of Glory

Grandmother….

Clara Mae

Nancy And Sarah

Dad

Miss Claudette Bodean Clay

The Pusher

Kids

Wife Number One

Wealthy Snit

The Baby

Try

Aunt Mamie’s Window

Of The Night

Doggone

Where Are The

Christians?

Bright White

Waiting To Die

I Wonder

The Surprise

Up Town

Colorful

Alright

Stone Throwers

Young And Old

The Designer

Wistfully

You People

Suddenly Still

Self-Made Man

Pains Of Fame

Who Will

The Burglar

Why Can’t I Find A Decent Man?

Travelers

Heartbeats

Buzzie

Period

Miss Ida’s Kitchen

Jake

Introduction

As the middle child of three girls, we grew up in a loving atmosphere in the home of the famous black poet, COUNTEÉ CULLEN. It was a quiet, sort of get-a-way residence for the famous poet. Upon his death, his estate and holdings were auctioned to pay for his medical bills after a long illness.

The area was then known as the Douglas Park Area of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. This area was originally designed for upper classed blacks. The streets were renamed after black colleges and famous black people. There was and still is a Howard Street, a Lincoln Avenue, a DuBois Avenue, a Wilberforce Avenue, a Langford Street, and a Brown Street. This section was named Douglas Park after Frederick Douglas. Among the many plans for Douglas Park, was a golf course and country club. However, the KKK, along with other factors, such as a disagreement between the realtor, and a lawyer, caused the project to go undeveloped. However, Douglas Park residents entertained top names of the day in their estate homes. Joe Louis, whenever he came to Pleasantville, New Jersey, to train at the local Byrds Gym, was entertained at lavish parties in Douglas Park where he stayed.

Countee’s home, a white asbestos shingled colonial type with a formal living room with a fireplace, a drawing room, with fireplace, separated by French doors, a library, a formal dining room with bay windows, a kitchen, a full pantry, a summer kitchen, a sun room, and a porch with French windows that wrapped one side of the house, to the other, and this was just the first floor. Beautiful Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers lit both living and dining rooms. When the windows were opened, you could hear the crystal sing! In fact, the fixtures hung so low that it became an annoyance to dad, and when one of the ornate crystal bells broke an dad tried to get it fixed, he was told the only place he could get a replacement was Europe. Well, he was so incensed that he had all of them removed and modern fixtures installed.

Years later, he said, he had no idea they were of any value. He was under the impression that things were to be modern. At the back of the house was a fruit orchard that was leveled in our first year of residence there by a fierce hurricane that simply ripped the trees from the ground as if they were twigs of grass. The only tree that remained in the back was a tall, black walnut tree in front of the kitchen window. Outside in front of the house were three large maple trees, one of which in the center was a red leaf maple, the color was glorious. Certain times of the year it seemed to be on fire. A very tall blue spruce and cedar trees adorned one side of the house, with hedges sculptured like waves of the sea.

It was in June of 1944, that my father, Thomas Ringo (then, affectionately known to many as Chief, (mainly because he was one of the early black Chief Petty Officers in the Navy.) purchased the Cullen’s Estate at an auction. He dreaded the thought of us girls growing up in the city, and thus settled the family down in this small affluent area, and started us off in private school, after finding many of the public schools were segregated, and we had never been exposed to it. Soon after we moved into this home, we all remembered daddy clearing out the library, complaining about all the papers, and writing and stuff, which he thought to be junk. He stacked it all in boxes and took it out into the back yard and promptly burned it all. It wasn’t until years later he discovered he had burned many of Countee Cullen’s manuscripts. He later said, he had no idea the man was famous.

Father became a Deacon at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, in Pleasantville, New Jersey. Mom was active in different church auxiliaries, but her favorite was the choir. When the ladies of the church had teas on Sundays, my mother, Dorothy Elliott Ringo (who was always a great lover of poetry, music and dolls) would take us to hear an old gentleman named Mr. Everly, who would recite poetry from memory, acting it out, moving back and forth across the stage like an old vaudevillian. I was always spellbound by his performance. Although I was a fidgety tom-boy type, and always into some mischief, when old Mr. Everly rose and began to speak, I sat motionless, memorized, until he was finished, always secretly wishing he would go on forever. Then there was mother, who, with a seemingly endless collection of poetry and books, would read to us until we tired or became too fidgety. There was also Grandfather Elliott in Germantown, Pennsylvania. We would sit and listen to the stories he wove on warm summer nights while sitting beneath the stars on the Crawford Estate. We’d sit and listen to the concert music emanating from the exclusive Senior Retirement Estate that bordered the Crawford Estate. Looking to the sky, he’d show us the Bear, the Dippers, and other constellations in the heavens, as we’d fuss over who was going to be next to get the grand prize of the gold ring off his cigar. It was difficult for us to concentrate once we saw him reach for that cigar. After he awarded one of us that ring, he’d blow a few smoke rings and we’d go back to concentrating on what he was saying, while watching the stars, sometimes falling fast asleep. Grandad was a chauffeur for the Crawford Family, a real life Driving Miss Daisy affair. After Mr. Crawford passed, he and Mrs. Crawford looked and behaved just like the two characters in the motion picture.

How lucky we were and we didn’t know it. We thought everyone lived like that. As I grew older and became acquainted with many other people of diversified walks of life, from so many places in this fair land, I realized, thank God, and not too late, that my sisters and I had reasons to be thankful, that we did not suffer the pain and anguish that so many were going through. We had the value and pleasure to just grow up in a rather normal, happy fashion. I’ve often wondered if the spirit of Countee Cullen still lives in our family. I see mothers love of poetry, she and my other two sisters are often called upon to do recitations. Me, I could never stop writing poetry. For no reason at all, I’d write, toss it aside, and write more, feeling, I just had to get it out of my system, as young as I can remember. My thanks to Mr. Everly, who’s memorable poetic performances will be with me for an eternity. I can still see him, moving across the small church stage, turning to the side, uttering a few lines, turning again to face his audience before uttering his last stanza, and taking his final bow to a standing applause, I loved it! To my parents, in deep appreciation, especially mother, you were always there for us, I thank you!

Dedicated with love.

to my husband