Sweden In Summer 1989 Poem by Paula Glynn

I loved sunny and enchanting Sweden
I loved growing up in Sweden
Those were the days of my life
Summer in Sweden such a joy
Being a vivacious young girl
With trips out I did always enjoy

Most days the sun would shine
Through the clean windows in the veranda
My grandmother's pretty plants and flowers
Flourishing as we ate our morning yogurt
And drank a light fruit squash
Looking forward to a day happening soon

We would get out of bed early morning
We would shower daily with pear shower gel
We had our routine both day and night
Listening to the night-time sounds
As we brushed our teeth
And just got ready for bed

There would be ants outside
My grandmother would pour hot water on
Hoping the ants didn't carry on going strong
Other bugs mostly avoided
Foreign countries notorious
For their bugs and general wildlife

Most days we would excitedly go
In our grandmother's old yellow car
Travelling to places both near and far
Driving past stone mountains
Along the roads that had heavy traffic
Our grandmother an expert at driving

We would also walk through
The Swedish woods
And pick fruits and mushrooms
We'd eat delicious food therefore
Because we were children who weren't poor
And children that played until happily sore

Because we loved wandering the woods
We loved going food and fun shopping
Where we'd buy stickers and letters
And also crayons and coloured pencils
To get creative with by sending letters back home
Creativity never lost from me

My grandmother had a grand house:
And better house keeping skills
With clean bathrooms
And a cosy basement
Where I fell in love with 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' 1982
Starring Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews

I always felt sad on the flight back home
Where I didn't want to go back to England
I wanted Sweden to forever be in 1989
I wanted that summer rain
I wanted that comforting and cosy bed
And that luxurious shower

But my memories live on
And are very vivid and very real
I will never forget those childhood days
Sweden a paradise of 1989
Holidays a gift from my grandmother
And a gift I shall treasure always.