My memory took me

A land of innocence, of games and toys,
A land filled with little girls and boys.

Those little plastic golf sets you played with all day.
Watching Bambi with my Mum at the old Broadway.

My first day at St Joseph’s, with my cousin Alex Whelan,
The boy hanging on to the classroom door, kicking and screamin’.

Lucky bags, penny caramels, Spangles and Treets.
Playin’ at Kirby for hours oot in the streets.

The Beano, The Dandy wae Desperate Dan,
Nurky nurky or kick the can.

Doon the public park all summer long,
Ma Aunty Morag and Uncle Tom, singing an old Irish song.

Peter Craig’s sausages and Little’s rolls,
The old Post Office and Martha the Poles.

School trips oan buses festooned wae streamers,
The Beatles, Freddie And The dreamers.

Watching Neil Armstrong step onto the Moon,
A wee French film called The Red Balloon.

Holidays at Butlins doon at Ayr,
Or up tae Anstruther for some guid Fife air.

Dookin’ in the boatin’ pond,
Sooty waving his magic wand.

Singing ma wee heart out in the school choir,
Guy Fawkes night, fireworks and the bonfire.

Sneaking into Duncan’s scrappy doon at Springwell,
Waiting for the sound of the last school bell.

Christmas presents and Christmas trees,
jam jars for catching bees.

Playing on the railway with Jim Allen and James Barrett,
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs and his carrot.

Making slides when it was icy cold,
trying to do what you were told.

Jimmy Johnstone wae the baw stuck to his feet,
Mickey’s or Peter’s for an ice cream treat.

Everything we needed, we got doon the street.

My childhood days are now far far away, but I can still travel back
And see a little boy in his favourite anorak;

And see my first day at St Joseph’s,
with my cousin Alex Whelan,
And the boy hanging on to the classroom door:
Kicking and screamin’.

Dedicated to James Cornfield and Alex Whelan.
By Brian Cummiskey
(c) 2012

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