As the day turns
to night and the night turns to day,
I recall a time
when my hair wasn’t grey…
Days when I could
walk at a considerable pace
And I didn’t have
a solitary line on my face.
But now I lie
here, fading fast,
My bones are
tired, I wheeze, I gasp,
Sun-bleached
memories flood my brain,
Oh… give us one
more shot at being young again?
I’d run through
meadows and skinny dip,
Ride a
rollercoaster to make my tummy flip,
Go punting down
the River Cam,
Make endless
batches of strawberry jam.
Watch as new
leaves unfurl in spring,
Neck my first ever
Singapore Sling,
Build monster dens
from bales of hay,
And pretend life
is still one long, summers day.
Marvel at sunsets;
glimpse shooting stars,
Try on posh ball
gowns and fancy bras,
Hold my babies for
the very first time,
Barely daring to
believe they are mine! All mine!
Beaches and sand
dunes; an all-over tan,
Breakfast on eggs
and bacon in a static caravan,
Hunt down pine
cones and conkers and playing trick or treat,
Paddle in the sea
with my silly flat feet.
Long, autumn walks
and hugging trees,
Wobbly teeth and
scabby knees,
Holidays,
birthdays and Christmas dinner,
Put on a few
pounds then try to get thinner.
Bunk off school
and smoke some fags,
Curl my hair using
mum’s old rags,
Drift back in time
along the River Nile,
Whoop with joy at
that very first smile…
Wedding bells and
showers of confetti!
Perfect the art of
cooking spaghetti,
Red wine, white
wine, rosé or bubbles,
Puff on a joint to
forget all my troubles.
Oh, life! You’ve
passed in the blink of an eye!
I think of all the
years that have passed me by,
I’d give all the
tea in China to spend just one more day…
As the girl I once
was, before the old and grey.
Copyright Tracy Hefferon 2015
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