I Drank From the Garden Hose: Poetry, prose, and writing exercises for 80’s & 90’s nostalgia

By Tara Lesko

This is not your average writing resource! :) Take a humorous, and sometimes melancholic, trip down midlife crisis lane and celebrate all that made 80’s and 90’s kids the bigger kids we are today. Every poem and story will stir up a menagerie of memories as they sing praise to the norms, entertainment, trends, stores, toys, games, traditions, and mindsets that made Gen-X what it is - the drink from the hose generation who walked everything off. Included are numerous writing prompts for anyone who may want to dive into their own cardboard boxes and scrapbooks. You DO NOT have to be a Gen X-er to enjoy. Find me at idrankfromthegardenhose.com, serotonintheforgotten.com, www.facebook.com/taraannlesko, IG - @taraannlesko twt- @taraleskowriter

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781312395992

Book preview

Welcome to my collection of poetry, prose, and writing exercises tailored to anyone born between the years 1965 to 1981, give or take. Most of this is brand new material, but there are some bits and pieces that can also be found on my blog, idrankfromthegardenhose.com. Everything that’s posted to that blog is geared toward 80’s & 90’s nostalgia, both personal and universal. By no means do you have to be in this age range in order to enjoy what’s here. It’s simply a theme, but one that has been a driving literary force for me since I hit the 40-something club, four years ago now. Awesome.

I try to stay as active as possible on my blogs and social medias. But my career, though I love it dearly, can be quite the life suck. Writing is not how I make my living. Sometimes I think it should, but then again, maybe I wouldn’t love writing as much if it covered my car payment. I won’t mention the bills for all the Lucky Charms, Fruit Roll Ups, Spaghetti O’s, and chicken nuggets. Yes, I eat like I’m 11.

One of my goals is to introduce the not-so-literary person to the wide open landscapes of writing. Journaling, particularly guided journaling, has exploded in recent years, and I am ecstatic to see more people experimenting with a craft that’s not as intimidating as it seems.

I also hope this book triggers good, and perhaps bad, memories of your own. Embrace both equally since the good and the bad provide the same amount of wisdom. The good times made us who we are, and placed us where we needed to be. The bad times remind us of who we don’t want to be, and where we never want to land again. Some of the most brilliant and productive minds who have made incredible contributions, didn’t live in a world full of Rainbow Brites and Care Bears.

I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not. Kurt Cobain

Thank you to all my friends and family, too numerous to mention, for their undying love and support. And thank you to all the bands, TV shows, stores, movies, games, malls, roller rinks, beaches, toys, traditions, and memories that built this book. Never say die!

Things That Used to Matter, and Maybe They Still Should

High top sneakers and scrunchy socks

Good Humor trucks

The Fat Frogs sold by the Good Humor truck.

Getting a sip of Dad's beer.

Colorforms (created in Jersey, by the way) :)

When the street lights flickering on told us it was time to get our asses home.

The one friend with the nutty mother you sometimes wished was yours.

Lisa Frank

McDonald's Halloween buckets (still haven't been able to get my hands on the ghost).

Real Halloweens

Stuffed Muppet Babies at McDonald’s

When Happy Meal toys were cool

Hair crimpers

Amazing Stories (the show)

Dick Clark ringing in the New Year (before and after the stroke)

Exploring in the woods

Calamine lotion

Getting to Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out without a cheater code

Paying your older sibling to do your homework for you.

Bribing your older sibling to tell you what Mom got you for Christmas.

New crayons

New Trapper Keepers

Big New Kids on the Block buttons

Scholastic Book Fairs

Climbing trees

Break dancing on broken down cardboard boxes as if you were in the movie Breakin.

Skateboarding on unused tennis courts

Toilet papering trees on Mischief Night - until assholes took the mischief too far and ruined it for everyone else.

Grandma's leftovers kept in empty Country Crock containers (or maybe that's just me)

Your mother's CorningWare with the little blue flowers

Staying home from school with chicken noodle soup, ginger ale, and Bob Barker

Faking sickness in order to stay home with soup, saltines, and The Price is Right

Making lists of all the things that used to matter.

Being overwhelmed by everything that still does

On Getting Older

…Every single one of us starts dying as soon as we are born, and it doesn’t take long for us to start racking up successes and failures. Whether in a movie, a cartoon, or television sitcom, we’ve all seen a comedic version of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Maybe we don’t give the image too much thought because it is a cliche, but we carry our own little angels and demons in some form. The problem is we may spend too much time brushing the demon off like lint or pet hair from a wool coat. But maybe all that fuzz is what gives our outer layer its character. 

Aging is the most bizarre concept on this planet. I say concept because we mustn't forget that time is a human-made thing. Gen X-ers have reached a point where we are too young to be old and we’re too old to be young. Perhaps we are aging faster than we think. Not only are we getting older quicker, but our younger generations seem to be aging much faster in this ever-expanding world. Still, the concept of aging is a double-edged sword because growing older is both admired and despised. Here is what any thesaurus will tell us