Mother said,
go to Ryelands park,
the fairground’s on
here’s two bob
and don’t you stay ’til
after dark
I want you home
it’s school tomorrow.
Those yesterdays lay heavy on me.
it was all a fairground then,
even schooldays had their share of fun
but to be honest
I preferred the riverbanks
where I think I learned much more.
I got home late
it didn’t seem like it
and though I won a coconut
my dad played merry hell with me
which was not as tuneful as the
waltzer.
© 2020, John Smallshaw.
