Childhood Ends
I was once alive in this place with
Privet-hedged gardens, hopeless gnomes
Baitlessly fishing their sun-dried pond.
Conkers and bangers, nesting and frogs' spawn
Robbing and laying according to season
Scrumping sour Granny's from nanna's back garden
Fishing Pentwyn Pond , bottomless it's rumoured
For Roach and Crucians, Sticklebacks, Pike
Stale bread for bait on a toy rod of split cane
Borrowed or stolen or cadged from a mate.
Chucking beer bottles as targets to aim at
Into the river from beaches of duff
Forbidden to all, on account of the black rats,
A silica fortune washing down to the sea
Fresh from the colliery washeries upstream.
Striding our ridges, plenty to chose from,
Alone with the skylarks exuberant above.
Walking the Garth brook, pure and shallow
Wading upstream so as not to displace
The innocent trout lying under the bank
Sliding our hands in to disclose their hiding
Taking our time on the damp homeward journey,
Hoping our wellies would dry with the walk
Getting the peace of her mind as we dripped in
Then waiting 'til dad got up for his night shift
To show us with withy precisely what's what!
Riding on gambos down Tydfil Road
Winter-time sledging in Lewis' fields
Recklessly, fearlessly, senselessly hurtling
Glovelessly, crying, finger-tips warming.
Falling from branches, up to the Miner's
Forearm in plaster, worn with pride.
Playing at kiss-chase behind the lavvies
Listlessly running, caught time and again.
Saturday matches down at the rugby
Boys in the big bath after the game.
Green Fly, Church House, Fisherman's, Bridge End
White Heart, Royal Oak, Ruperra,and Cons
Points on our compass, ports for our packets
Rhumb line navigation crossing the Rhym'
Temptation surrounded, no need to seek it
Available to all who could go on two legs
Penniless pleasures, no ticket required,
A lifetime subscription, a birthright for us
The valley possessed us, invented the limits
A school without fences keeping us all safe.
Accidents happened, but only to others,
Until it was your turn, then fatal it was.
I let your essence slip through my fingers
My breath insufficient to restart your heart
All-seeing eyes saw nothing at all then,
Ending forever the game we once played
Reality's mean meaning, a single hard lesson
Grown up in the instant of death.