Poem for today by Heather Montford
Arts Richmond
Online - 08 May 2020

Memories
We used to play outside when I was young.
On bicycles and roller skates, roads traffic free.
There was a war, food rationing and petrol none
And barking dogs our only enemy.
We knocked on doors “Can Joan come out to play?”
“You’ll need your coat and don’t be late for tea “
We crossed the road ran out of sight and calling distance.
Joan, Brenda, the Perry girls and me.
We played all day and no one bothered us.
Climbed trees, played hopscotch, handstands, made up games
Snowballing in winter, sledging on tin trays
In summer picked wild flowers, even learned their names.
There were no ipods, play stations, no mobile phones
No television, theme parks, outings a rarity
But we learned independence, self reliance, creativity
There was a war somewhere but we were free.
Heather Montford
Heather is a retired medical doctor and now spends a lot of her time involved in charity organisations, painting, reading and writing poetry. She also enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.
Memories
Talking Lockdown
Arts Richmond has organised a series of short Zoom talks from representatives of the arts and media.
Wednesday 12 May 2021 at 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
The Roger McGough Annual Poetry Prize 2020
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