When I Was Young Poem by Colin Ian Jeffery

When I was young, soul slate-clean
Thinking myself immortal
Long hard icy winters
Freezing landscapes lasting months
Snowmen carrot nosed, eyes of coal
Children tobogganing, laughing with delight
Racing downhill on upturned milk crates.

Long bright adventurous summers
Seeming never ending.
Building tree camps in woods
Playing cowboys and Indians
Thinking girls silly
Not liking football, frogs and mice
Wanting to play kiss chase with boys.

Weekly pocket money of sixpence
Given by father for Saturday morning cinema
Enjoying ice lollies in crowded stalls
Cheering Hop-a-long Cassidy and Roy Rogers
Booing black-hatted cowboy villains
Sweets rationed, gobstoppers, fizzy saucers
Bull eyes, sticky toffee, chocolate bars.

Living in street with no doors locked
Friendly neighbours ready to help
Bank holiday day trips to seaside Brighton
Paddling in warm sea, building sand castles
Eating fish and chips from newspapers
Chewing sticks of pink peppermint rock
Brighton's name all way through.

Cinema with family on Wednesday nights
Hot meat pie each on way home
Carried high upon father's shoulders
Over field at back of our house.
Mother's kisses, loving hugs
Stories read by father at bedtime
Precious memories when I was young.