Back Then…

Years ago, I watched my dad
Smack seven bells out of my neighbour
For insulting my mum
At that time, dad kept doves
Mum believed in elves at the bottom of the garden
Back then, we all walked to school, rain or shine
Boys wouldn’t use an umbrella
For fear of being called a sissy
I have been drumming the same tattoo
On the edge of my desk for years
I wonder if I would ever write words to it
Would there come a time when other artists
Would covet my song?
Behind our estate, there is a small forest
I have seen many lovers blunder in and out
Running under thundering raindrops
I often wondered if ghosts 
had driven them out of the woods
There had been stories of girls screaming
Saying someone touched them
As for me, I stay away from the place
Not just because mum told me to
She had a bad experience years ago
She won’t tell me
Dad says it was in the past
I must admit the kids have always called me pixie
Because of my pointed ears
Gran says it happened because mum got scared
by an elf or a pixie when she was carrying me
Do you believe in such twaddle…?

© Anita Dawes 2021