I see Pepper and Lucia in the park,
A smile of recognition and joy,
“We’re missing school a lot oh boy!”
I move on to cross a road,
Miss D spots me and stops her car,
For a moment our lives are slowed,
As we exchange a smile and say “How we are.”
I drift beside the river,
Glancing at the house boats backed by a wood,
Curtains drawn and the occasional sticker,
“It’s never too late for a happy childhood.”
I stand beside the lock,
There is a “No unauthorised access” sign- very clear,
But the seagulls in defiance still flock,
I sit on a bench, “For Mary, who loved it here.”
I return home in the rain,
Through a village “No building here please.
Instead of 30 houses, why not 800 trees?”
I walk a few more steps,
Pass a sad little door,
“RIP Mike, with us no more.”
I enter our drive,
Reflect on my stroll,
Pass through the doorway back into our cosy hobbit hole.