i
remember
there was like a promise
in
the
cool
air
of those old school mornings
spring emptying out
the cut grass
a kind of freshness
of a town unwrapped
~
but 10 am lasted forever
and i felt trapped there
stranded and beached there
on
a
grey plastic seat
behind
a
bubblegum desk
hand up for the bogs
all
the
time
just to be alone
~
there was elation
on the playing fields
freedom and space
scuffed shoes kicking
a dog chewed tennis ball
running and falling
there was always blood
and i remember
dirty bottles
of sun warm
fall fat milk
monster munch crumbs
stuck
rounds
mouths
all day long
~
and the three pm bell
and the rush
and bustle
and buzz
of it being over
and the new reading book
and the new book mark
( cut from a donated greeting card )
turned into a heavy dread
i was too young for
turned up blunt
down by the lavender bush
( scary bees &
ford cortinas
vinyl roofs )
summer holiday ennui
on the
summer holiday lawn
i would hide
inside the trees
like
a
kid
in a story book
~
i remember
the autumn mornings empty blast
it fit like a coat
a parka
pen pockets
on the sleeve
i remember
a kind of independence
a kind of plastic calm
when after breakfast
i was putting out toast crumbs
for
the
birds
before school
fools
hormones
and
a
nuclear winter
unfound savilles
on the bbc
from pinterest
as
a
kid
out on the
halfday closing
dogshit pavement
i would hide behind
the parked cars
on our dead end street
in a blue and white
supermarket tracksuit
i would twist ankles on the kerb stones
and look for rainbows
in the
spilled oil
on the forecourts
stony cement
we sheltered from the rain
in an open garage on this forecourt
silver jubilee rain 1977
i was dressed as a cowboy
and ate some sand
from the floor in there
and where ever the cement
was cracked interestingly
or the tarmac melted
into torn topped waves
i thought it was slow earthquakes
or lazy volcanoes
coming up thru
englands ground
i hid like the bellisario heroes
i saw on tv
wishing i had black hair
was called john
and had all the
panini stickers in the world
i hid behind granadas and cortinas
with vinyl roofs
hot to the touch
and behind an black opel
that seemed exotic then
and behind a white work van
with LANG written on the side
always parked
in the penny lane lay-by
where the flea dart bushes grew
over the pink and yellow
patio slabs
there was no sad afternoon sun
or school morning panic
down there
where the tires rested on the blacktop
and no one was looking for me
so i kind of always won
and
it
felt
very
safe
from aronline.co.uk
1. FORDS
years and tears ago
our side alleyway
was new orange brick
with
wind holes to stretch up on tip toe
and
peep
thru
at the Cortinas and Corsairs
inching into their garages
after
i
got
in
from
school
and
supper
was in the stove
2. TAILS
one day playing alone i found a lizard
poised
in
the
shadows there
and
next doors cat
tail straight up like an ariel
was
on
the dustbin lid
watching
clumsily i touched the lizard
and
his
tail
came off
the cat came to see
and
i stroked his back
and
when
i reached his tail
he
slashed
at
me
with his front claws
i ran inside
the alley a dark danger
of
animals
and
tails
to
me
now
from justanimalblog
