it takes me back
it was the place I took my first real steps in life
the place I made my first mistakes
the place I discovered girls and smoked my first
and my last
cigarette
things where different then
things change
I made and lost some good mates
we played football in the school playground
and went fishing in the mill leet behind the bakery
street names now have special meanings to me
the street where I used to live
the street to my primary school
streets where my mates used to live
and the streets where we used to play
things I don't do know
things change
the primary school which taught me many things
including subjects not on the curriculum
has now been knock down
as has the big tree which celebrated our arrival home
to what was
but is no longer
number 28
our house
houses have been built on fields I once played in
things look so different now
things change
houses full of people I once knew
now homes to strangers
shop names have changed
some buildings aren't even shops anymore
the post office is now a chip shop
the streets that once were full of people who knew me
are full of strangers
or
maybe I do know some of these people
only
in the 50 years since I lived here
things have changed
I've changed
we've all changed
everything changes
