We were young

 We were young


We were young and all was possible

Every boy a future mate

Every girl a future date


We made decisions in the moment

Without the burden of experience

Against advice of older ones. 


Yet we survived with scrapes 

With battle wounds to show

We had fought and not stayed home


Home was where the post came

We were never in but ever busy

Joining things and marching. 


All was possible for we hadn’t learnt -

Life was kind and trouble missed us

Til it found us and kept us safe indoors


Home became familiar, rarely out

Old friends who died were not replaced

The drawing room our only space 


The world had shrunk

And our lives too

Like fallen acorns

On the forest floor. 


Christmas comes and it’s time 

To open windows to the world 

Dust the cobwebs from our soul

Believe again as we did before. 

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