Glenolden Park

More about the book

Poetry. Memoir. Glenolden Park is a beautifully crafted memoir of the early Forties in narrative verse by Richard Lloyd. Set in a blue-collar community close to Philadelphia, the book recounts the free-spirited adventures of the author and his friends, as well as the doings of local characters like Johnny the Cop. In the background of these often humorous and mischievous tales is the stark reality of the war. While poems such as 'V-E Day' and 'V-J Day' capture the reaction of the home front to welcome news, by contrast 'Uncle Joe Home From the War' depicts the broken spirit of a returning veteran who was a larger than life hero to the youth. In the community of Glenolden, the park was the main attraction for its children. It held two ponds and a creek with a tunnel and a B&O railroad nearby. Today the same quiet neighborhood surrounds the fabled park.