Childhood Days

I looked at a photo that took me back
To a steam engine pulling a load
Going clickety-clack on the railway track
O’er the bridge on the Antrim Road

I used to stare with a feeling of dread
As the bridge shook under the strain
And the light turned to darkness overhead
Obscured by the passing train

Beyond the bridge in Antrim Road
Telephone wires hummed in the breeze
Sending a message in a secret code
Which made me feel at ease

I walked for miles on a summer day
Fro there to Sandy Lane
Where I saw the bales of new mown hay
How I wish I were back again

Back to the hedges growing wild
To the chitty wren’s wee nest
To the magic world where a growing child
Could run, and play, and rest

In my world back then; I was nine or ten;
As I climbed the country stiles
I scanned the fields for the tiny wren
As I counted out the miles

The summer days were warm and long
Wild berries tasted sweet
I loved the sound of the thrush’s song
And the grass beneath my feet

I’ll keep in my mind that chitty wren’s nest
And that old bridge near the mill
Till the day they lay me down to rest
And I am forever still.

By Dabbler