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Category Archives: poems of childhood
Visiting shame
Here, on a morning in late summer the sun burns off the early mist. Faintly, I see the dew vaporising rising against the light. This morning something is shrunken in me. I feel caught within, bound down, ashamed. Sandbach School, … Continue reading
In a garden in Amsterdam
Here in this garden in Amsterdam the grass has been grown in four strips, and single wildflowers emerge at intervals, splashes of colour amongst the green, a creative statement in any language. Here in this garden in Amsterdam two children … Continue reading
And what happened to you, little boy?
And what happened to you, little boy? And what happened to you, little boy? The last time that I saw you, you were kicking your legs out with joy, in the stackyard, while the geese ran past, and the adults … Continue reading
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The school gate is near enough, thank you
The school gate is near enough, thank you At first you are glad when your mother holds your hand and takes you into the classroom at school; later on, the school gate is near enough, thank you; at eighteen you … Continue reading
How to hold back, how to let go
How to hold back, how to let go One time, at the farm, we had a craze for building dams; at the farthest point of the bottom pastures, in a little valley, shaded amongst a few trees, we chose the … Continue reading
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we fathers
we fathers we fathers take our sons to the beach on a winters morning in the dark and leave them heading into the crashing waves to ride the surf of excitement all day long we fathers teach our sons to … Continue reading
Holding on, letting go
Holding on, letting go Sometimes my dad lifts me on to his shoulders, and I ride along, sitting up there. He holds on to my feet, and I hold on to the top of his head, and I get a … Continue reading
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Faint shadows of flowers
Faint shadows of flowers In the silence of the dawn, I wake up from my dreaming mind; the candlelight throws faint shadows of flowers on the wall. ah, my dreaming mind, you have been a friend to me, been with … Continue reading
The freedom in keeping still
The freedom in keeping still The joy of waking up with your child beside you the joy of keeping quiet so they may continue to sleep the perfection of their breathing the perfection of their relaxation the completeness of their … Continue reading
Lessons from Aylesbury
Lessons from Aylesbury Lesson 1 In my seven-year old mouth, in 1959, in an old fashioned primary school in Aylesbury, there is a lump of gristly meat, part of my school dinner, which I have been chewing forever. I dare … Continue reading
A map of blunders
A map of blunders It’s hard to remember that I have blundered through my life leaving a wake of destruction spreading out behind me. Nothing too gross, you understand, nothing the police would be interested in. And of course I … Continue reading