Afternoon rest
Poplars
Fluttering
Leaves
Birch trees
Jackdaws unseen
Seeing us sleeping
Soft pink wooden walls
Our small school
Clouds pass overhead
Green canvas
Stretched tight
On steel tube frames
Old grey army blankets
Brought out of storage
Smell
Dampness
There is no rush
Time passes slowly
Lying watching clouds
Sleep again
Afternoon sleep again
Time to wake up
Red leather sandals
Grey socks
Green and red belt
Snake head buckle
Pale brown shorts
White cotton shirt.
Childhood has changed
God knows life was never simple
Growing up in a mining valley
But now a narrowing down
Childhood brings pressure early
The need to perform
The continual auditing
To ensure achievement
Of the goals of learning
In a modern age
Ignoring the needs of a child
So very young
To grow in their own time
In their own way
To socialise
Build friendships
That narrowing down
The increase of prejudice
The re-emergence
Of pre-conceived
Convictions
Of small minded
Preference
Of a previous age
Closing down
Instead of opening
Growing
And looking out at the world
Encouraging curiosity
Of life
This earth
And all who live in it
We cannot remain silent
There is much work to do.
