Candy Girl Poem by Paula Glynn

I like candy, like bubblegum pop,
I like a fizzy sweet on my tongue,
That shocks the senses like a gobstopper,
And is sweet like Turkish Delight,
For candy is the name of the game,
And I enjoy those romantic lovehearts,
For many a romantic teenage love,
Started with the sucking of a special message,
Whether a simple 'I Love You' or 'Hug Me',
And we all treasured our frist love,
In our hearts, never to be forgotten.

Although we don't smoke anymore,
We all remember trying a cigarette,
Behind the bike shed, coughing and choking,
As we inhaled, and we'd suck on mints,
Or Humbugs, to freshen our breath,
And hide what we had been doing,
For we felt wild, free and naughty,
Although, we know these days how bad,
For you smoking is, still it is nostalgic.

I remember eating Honeycomb growing up,
It was always a treat and I loved every bite,
But I couldn't get past liquorish: the taste bitter,
On my tongue, but my dad loved it,
So we'd buy a tin every Christmas for him:
I think it went down a treat, and he'd reciprocate,
The wonderful dad he was,
And I remember him calling me a Candy Girl,
Because I had a sweet nature and loved sweets,
And in the cold, winter months, he'd buy me cough candy,
My throat so raw and rough that I needed relief,
And it worked wonders for me, and the rest of the family,
So much so, that we'd treat him,
To Turkish Delight on his birthday,
And he'd offer me one, saying I was mysterious,
And would never lose with my curiosity and intellect.

He had been such a wonderful dad,
And when he was a grandparent, he'd offer my son,
Butter toffee and coca-cola lollipops,
Lollipops have always been a firm favourite of mine,
I used to love vanilla, orange and the best: cherry,
I could also taste all the colours of the rainbow with Skittles,
They had been so vibrant and sunny: even in winter,
And - as the advert says - touch the rainbow,
Taste the rainbow. This is not a sweet to be ignored.

All my friends loved bubblegum, whether strawberry,
Banana, or any other flavour; whatever, all the cool girls,
Loved their bubblegum and chewing gum,
Where we'd chew them in our morning and lunch breaks,
And where to sit down, we'd debate, for we were the cool girls,
And we all loved our sweets, but our teeth still perfect,
For it may seem we were rotting our teeth,
But we brushed them everyday and had dental treatment.

Sweets are what make me a Candy Girl:
For I am sweet inside and want you to taste my sugar,
Be my friend and someone I can depend upon,
Like the taste of jelly beans and Starburst,
That reminds me of times past,
Where my dad cared enough to make me happy,
And guide me towards being sweet, cute and loving,
Like sweets make people feel at Halloween,
And children cry 'Trick or treat! ',
And it was always a treat for me,
And a treat to live a happy life.