A return in my mind to my own dawn of time,
Arrived in a blitz of Hitler's misfits,
Sirens screamed warnings, mothers were calling,
Into the shelter, helter skelter.
Flying black crosses, so many losses,
Night skies bright with stroking searchlight,
Cold bombers' moons, barrage balloons
Free falling bombs filling up tombs.
'All clears' ringing, voices singing,
The sound of laughter the morning after,
The conflict ended, lives amended,
Party time, auld lang syne.
Along with the truce came free orange juice,
But my tastebuds recoiled against cod liver oil,
I was good to a fault for a spoonful of malt,
Food was still scarce but it could have been worse.
Still ration books caused such worried looks,
Mum queueing in line, hoping this time,
They wouldn't run out or she'd end up with nowt,
She always came good, we knew that she would.
Days as a child, carefree and wild,
A simple life life, no use for strife,
Buttercupped chins drew impish little grins,
Daisy chains down green country lanes.
Climbing tree, bloodied knees,
Trousers torn, shoes all worn,
Mother's shout, (dad was out),
Felt the pain when he came home again.
Infants school where 3R's ruled,
Sad leaving Mum but having such fun,
Made new pals, boys and gals,
Remembering new names, learning new games.
Hide and seek, (you mustn't peek),
Tennis ball against the wall
Used our coats for football posts
Dustbin for the wicket in schoolyard cricket.
A trip to the seaside, a pony ride,
Castles of sand, a one man band,
Skimming stones, ice cream cones,
Slides and swings, such simple things.
Snowball fights and Guy Fawkes' nights,
(remember, remember, the fifth of November),
Tingling toes, a runny nose,
(coughs and sneezes spread diseases).
Old pram parts = a steering cart,
The cutting edge of an icy sledge,
Screaming down hills, breathless thrills,
Racing mates on slick roller skates.
The kids' matinee was a magnet to see,
All that was best of the cowboys out west,
We cheered the Lone Ranger, helped him in danger
But there was none bigger than Roy Rogers and Trigger.
Swapping comics, how ironic,
Library books came alive, Biggles and the Famous Five,
Then poetry replacing thrills, Wordsworth growing daffodils,
Skipping rope chanting rhymes, giggles of girls keeping time.
Christmas morn, parents yawn, stockings emptied before the dawn,
Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, mince pies and Christmas crackers,
Hot plumb pud with threepenny bits, funny hats that never fit,
Paper chains, coloured balls, hoping that the snow would fall.
Looking back I have to say, there were not enough hours in a day,
No computers, no TV, but never bored my mates and me,
Kids the same around the nation, using a little imagination,
Fun was healthy,fun was free, I wouldn't swap what it did for me.
