Nostalgia

We used to say
'The other man's grass is always greener'

or we would say
'The grass is always greener on the other side'
when we were feeling envious or dissatisfied.

We meant that,
even if our plates were piled high
with glorious food,
the person at the next table
always appeared to be eating something tastier

or, however fast our car would go,
our neighbour's car would go faster.

That was the trouble-
we never were satisfied.
We always wanted more.
We always wanted to go faster.

Anyway, off you go.
I can see you're bored.

Tell you what though,
before you come
to visit me again
I'll find my photo album.
Show you some pictures of me
when I was your age.

Pictures of me standing, not on concrete,
but on grass.

I expect you'll find it hard to believe
that there was such stuff

and how green it was.


The Bicycle Song


Poem copyright Bernard Young 2011