I Was 9 In 1974
51 Years Later - That's How I Remember It
we were kids in the backyard
playing soldiers and rock stars
no internet or cell phones
or keeping up with the Joneses
out of nowhere it changes
the life we knew, rearranges
we never saw it on tv
but we knew she was thirteen
lived down the road from my grandma
trashed our world like a jigsaw
we had to follow a curfew
our innocence in the rearview
know one knew who would do that
how could someone be so bad
to take the life of a young girl
our new view of a cruel world
no one knew how we got here
security replaced with fear
a small town under fire
wrapped in tears and barbed wire
***
Now I'm sixty and some days
the thoughts of her keep me awake
there was no closure or victory
the animal got away, free
her mom and dad died not knowing
and the world just kept on going
but for in a moment of my life
we stood face to face with senseless crime
long before it was mainstream
when life was for chasing your dreams
in an instant it was over
shrouded in memory and clover
****
A/N: When I was a kid (1974) we moved in with my grandmother for a short time in Markle, Indiana, while our house was being remodeled on the farm. During that time, Lori Brickley, a childhood neighbor (13) walked down to the general store to mail a letter and never returned home. After 3 days of searching they found her murdered and abandoned in an old outhouse, three doors from her home. She had been stabbed over thirty times. Small town never felt the same again.
Attached is a small video of those events. No one was ever captured for this crime and her closest relatives are gone. Such a tragic loss of innocence.
About the Creator
Kelli Sheckler-Amsden
Telling stories my heart needs to tell <3 life is a journey, not a competition
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Comments (6)
Oh my, Poor Lori...😢
Gosh they never caught who killed her? My heart breaks so much for her parents and family 😭😭😭😭😭
How sad. Adam Walsh's case was the one that stood out to me as a child
I to was 9 in '74 and this is a great way to say even if you did not the person just to say Rest in Peace. Great job.
Oh my goodness, that's the year I was born. What an awful tragedy :( No matter where or when it happens, senseless violence showcases how truly awful we can be as a species. This was heartbreaking, but you penned it with such care :)
Senseless, violent crimes like those are always devastating, and rock small towns like earthquakes. A gripping tale, Kelli. On a side note, I became a dad in 1974. Sheesh!