Playing fields

he left his car behind as he
walked down the hill into
his child hood
down the playing fields

the hill wasn't as steep as he remembered
as a child he would hurtle down it
on his toy tractor
crash into the playing field
pick himself up
and do it all again

a shed was no more
as a child he had crouched nearby
watching teenagers kiss
as if in a bizarre snogging play

he hoped that one day he would
make it to the shed
but he moved away long before

the slide was still there,
he'd fallen off it fighting with Darren
on to harsh concrete
maybe it was a new slide
he didn't care

concrete was now a soft landing
darren would have avoided the broken ankle

at the bottom of the playing field
lay the arena
where british bull dogs commenced
and day/night cricket

as he looked at the childhood home
he could see his mother again
shouting into the playing field from the back door
other mothers too and other back doors

a pub still stood at the far end of the playing field
where he was sent to bring his father home for dinner
he remembered the excitement he had felt
entering the smoke
the coke and crisps combo ordered by his dad
so that he could sink a couple of more pints