When I'm asleep, soft dreams come drifting round,
While memories transport me back in time.
Then, as of old, I'm young and fit and sound.
I face a future world, still in its prime.
I'm on my bike, and riding off to school,
So keen to learn ambition's guiding powers.
The friendships forged in class or swimming pool
Spread golden gleams through long, dark, weary hours.
I'm back enjoying student days so dear,
With books and boyfriends, sport, and faith so strong.
Career and marriage form a picture clear.
Within this scene my daughter lingers long.
My hair's now white: my face is lined with years;
Yet still I'll build new dreams and banish tears.
An Earlier Version...
When I look back on many years of life,
Fond memories come flitting through my mind.
Recalling all the good things, not the strife,
I see a world once rosy and so kind.
We children did not fear to walk to school.
So keen to learn, we never cried, 'I'm bored.'
Possessions few we had to share and pool.
A deadly sin was greed. We did not hoard.
Those golden years, alas, were tinged with rust.
My sister died before the NHS.
On hands and knees to tackle dirt and dust
My mother's role was as a slave, I guess.
My hair's now white: my face is lined with years;
Yet still I'll live each hour and banish tears.