Raised on egg and chips.
Spam fritters.
Sardines on toast.
Skinned knees and busted zips.
Back row bad boy titters.
Tall tales of graveyard ghosts.
Three channels on the TV.
And no remote control.
Everything was black and white.
And the fire burnt real coal.
Wrestling and football results.
Daleks and Doctor Who.
And behave yourself or else.
The bogey man will come for you.
Chicken soup at the swimming baths.
Chlorine stinging eyes.
Shocked silence in the living room.
When news broke Kennedy had died.
Christmas was religious.
Not yet turned commercial.
And the people with the colour sets.
They had a different kind of aerial.
Summer lasted half a lifetime.
Winter dragged forever.
Smacks around the earholes.
For acting far too clever.
No such thing as a mobile phone.
Or a Happy meal to go.
Latches on doors remained unlocked.
In the trusting suburban home.
And the kid from another time.
Became an adult in another place.
And the kid from another time.
Wears a smile on his face.