In this poem I travel back in time to 1973 and in particular to the winter of that as I recall a time of pre teen dreams and why power cuts and the miners strike were my first real introduction to politics and the fact that though neither of them were Tories my mum and dad had very different visions of the future. I’ve titled it Homework By Candlelight I hope you enjoy the read.
Homework By Candlelight
It was a cold winter that year
frosty mornings commonplace
as I recall
it was worse in the fog
for someone with a tendency to fall
more often than I’d like
the miners strike
meant homework by candlelight
my mother moaned that some nights
she would miss coronation street
she seemed to think that this twice a week treat
was her connection to her sister in Manchester
I was more of a top of the pops fan myself
well I was naive enough to dream
having not yet reached my teens
of a kinder more equal world
I kept my girlhood quiet
though hormones ran riot
at a time of conflicting emotions
in a home where colours were displayed
that had nothing to do with football
© Gayle Smith 2020
Skirtingroundmylife 