Daily missive for Wednesday the 2nd of January.~by Peter Forster

 

 

Daily missive for Wednesday the 2nd of January.

Simple are the gifts
Too easily forgot
When as likely as not
The sun always
Seemed to shine
Squeals of delight
Were two a penny
Holding hands
Spinning in a circle
Until we all fell down
In those days long gone
Dizziness
Beget peels of joy
For a boy
With knobbly knees
In days filled
With climbing trees
Pitch and toss
French cricket
Was just the ticket
A swim in the stream
Wearing underpants
What a lark
Too young for
A skinny dip in the dark
Older brothers
With girlfriends
Claimed that as a right
Perhaps it was yours
On another night
Playing football in the park
Until bedtime
Horlicks for energy
Ovaltine to sleep
Either one best avoided
Until we were exhausted
Bed Sheets draped over
A clothes horse made
A secret camp
If it was not too damp
It would stand
Like a bivouac
In the garden
For us all to sleep in
Beneath the stars
With a stash of biscuits
Home made Lemonade
And Mars bars
We rarely made it through
Without a scare
Even though nothing
Much was ever there
A Fox on the prowl
Would bring a
Low growl
From the dog
A hoot from an owl
Would drift by
In the fog
As we huddled together
In fright
Daring ourselves
To stay the night
Simple were the days
Before
Grown up ways
Made life so complicated
When we were
Wet behind the ears
Shed unsophisticated tears
Were never
Bigger than our size
Really tough
Or worldly wise.