Back Home To Essex Poem by Paula Glynn

How I have missed you Essex,
With your big county dreams,
And your green, green fields,
In the heatwave of a summer,
For I left you behind,
And it broke my heart,
I was alone and in the dark,
I did make new friends,
But nothing compares to you.

I need to feel your soil,
Beneath my feet,
And for your freedoms, nature,
And glamour, feel the need.

I need to walk along your streets,
And to hear the clack, clack of my heels,
I need to breathe your city smog,
And see the people heaving,
In the nightclubs and shops,
As they chatter on their night out,
Just enjoying their lives.

I remember your sweet shops,
Growing up,
Where I chomped away,
On those sweet delights,
And rode my bicycle along my street,
And played ball with our dog in the park,
Getting dizzy and giggling on the round-about,
Imagining the sky falling down on me.

But time sped on and my family moved away,
Much to my 13 year old dismay,
But my love for you, Essex, never ended,
My passion for you all consuming,
For Essex is a cosmopolitan and diverse place,
And I'll love you forever and always, Essex,
I promise to return one-day soon,
And thank you for all those happy,
Innocent and playful childhood days.