My Memory Took Me – Part Two

Those little metal clickers that drove the teacher mad,
Watching Celtic play in a cup final,
wae oor Tommy and ma dad.

Christmas crackers with Christmas jokes,
Penny mix ups in wee broon pokes.

A visit to Lewis’s on Argyle street,
To see Santa Claus for a Christmas treat.

Real tough toys for real tough boys,
Plastic machine guns that made:
“far too much noise.”

Pogle’s Wood and Noggin the Nog.
Big Di and wee Maw Brady,
an old wooden Dutch clog.

Granda and Grannie Cummiskey doon at Rothesay Bay,
Cummiskeys and Whelans, goin’ o’er there tae play.

Ma Aunty Morag, ma Uncle Tom,
Aunty Agnes and Uncle Joe McQuade.
Oor Davie sittin’ oan Ayr beach,
diggin’ holes wae a wee tin spade.

Uncle Archie Peat playing the piano,
hitting a jag- time tune.
Watching Georges Melies :
“A Trip To The Moon.”

School trips to David Livingstone’s,
where we walked through The Dark Room.
Watching Dorothy being chased,
by the wicked Witch on her broom.

The wee red trike I played on for forever and a day.
Uncle Gerry Brady singing, Uncle Davie going away.

The smell of pipe tobacco,
the sound of the radiogram,
Being driven around in a Beetle,
by my dad’s friend Sam.

Bothwell Castle and the Monk’s Caves,
Ronnie Simpson and all his great saves,

Classroom tales of slavery and slaves,
Mass on a Sunday, Confession as well,
Father McGurk, tellin’ us, all about Heaven and Hell.

Fishin’ aff auld Rothesay Pier,
fish suppers and boatles of ginger beer,
Frankenstein’s monster fillin’ me up wae fear.

Oor Gerry hiding behind the couch,
at the start of Dr Who.
Prestwick Airport, Girvan, Troon, Saltcoats and Edinburgh Zoo.

Doing our rounds on Easter Sunday,
up the Cawther rollin’ eggs on Easter Monday.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. –
The Saint and James Bond.
The pitch and putt at Greenhall,
the putting green by the boating pond.

The simple joy of childhood,
playing silly games,
The people I grew up with,
here are just a few of their names:

Foxes, Kennedys, Cunninghams, McGilligans, Allens, McAdams and Breens,

Aitkens, Flynns, Lethams and Doonins, Morrisons, Duffys and Greens.

Cushleys, Cogans, Keenans, McKays – Clarks, Devines and Kanes,

O’Donnellys, Sanaghans, Kellys, Boyles, Walkers, Patersons and Mcleans.

Charlie Todd, Jim McGauley, Uncle Hughie and ma aunty Jean McQuade.
I grew up surrounded by some of the finest people, God has ever made.

Another journey back in time, to a land I once knew;
A land that is now made of memories:
Of which these are just a few.

By Brian Cummiskey

Co/BC/2012

~~~

If you have any Poems… Send them to Bill

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