I always felt safe and secure in my favourite place
It was an exclusive location known only to me
I could go there at any time of the day or night
Being eleven seemed quite an old age back then
I enjoyed my time and friends at primary school
I was nervous about moving to a new high school
Most afternoons I had to do errands for my mother
I enjoyed shopping alone and having pocket money
Other worlds were known about through radio news
Vietnam was so far away but it was always a topic
The world I knew existed between school and home
Television brought new experiences straight into my life
I recall how afraid I felt when violent things happened
Daily murder and mayhem on the streets of my city
I had thought that killing was only in cowboy movies
Or very far away where the president had been shot
I frequently delved into worlds of endless imagination
I absorbed the many great adventures of Nancy Drew
Lived for my favourite comic June and Schoolfriend
Make-believe was a quiet place where I could just be
Feeling safe was paramount in my mind back then…
It was an exclusive location known only to me
I could go there at any time of the day or night
Being eleven seemed quite an old age back then
I enjoyed my time and friends at primary school
I was nervous about moving to a new high school
Most afternoons I had to do errands for my mother
I enjoyed shopping alone and having pocket money
Other worlds were known about through radio news
Vietnam was so far away but it was always a topic
The world I knew existed between school and home
Television brought new experiences straight into my life
I recall how afraid I felt when violent things happened
Daily murder and mayhem on the streets of my city
I had thought that killing was only in cowboy movies
Or very far away where the president had been shot
I frequently delved into worlds of endless imagination
I absorbed the many great adventures of Nancy Drew
Lived for my favourite comic June and Schoolfriend
Make-believe was a quiet place where I could just be
Feeling safe was paramount in my mind back then…
Eileen T O’Neill 14/03/2024
I enjoyed this very much. You and I had similar feelings about growing 'older,' I think. I "frequently delved into worlds of endless imagination" too. I was an avid reader as well. I liked Nancy Drew AND also The Hardy Boys. I am not famiiiar with yur favorite comic. Though there WAS tragdy back then, in many ways they WERE very good days!
ReplyDeleteHmm, I wonder where that secret place was! You were a busy 11 year old, so you'd need a retreat for reading and make-believe. Detailed, I could "see" it.
ReplyDeleteMy mom worked, and had bad knees, so I had to go to the grocery store most of the time. I resonate with this, in your poem. When I look back, the world seemed a much safer place back then. Maybe I am just too aware now. I remember when dad brought home a black and white tv. Big excitement. Ed Sullivan and Father Knows Best every Sunday night. Smiles.
ReplyDeleteYes that resonates... as little kids home and school and Hardy Boys (not Nancy Drew for me) pretty much spelt life. TV brought cricket and tennis...news was still something that happened far away to other people. You've really summed it up.
ReplyDeleteI thought I commented earlier! Whoops. This reflection of age 11 is beautiful. I especially love her favorite places--her books and her space of endless imagination. I remember the anxieties of leaving the know and heading towards the unknown. Carefree childhood seemed long gone.
ReplyDelete"Other worlds were known about through radio news" I can relate to this so much specially because everyone in the household wanted to know about the latest development in our neighboring country where a freedom movement was going on. I still remember the day East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Good old days. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteGreat words and i can feel your heart in this and those growing up years. Life can be a challenge and can change a the moment of a breath. Great poem.
ReplyDeleteOh growing up is so hard. You've captured that so well. I often escaped into my imagination when life was too hard when I was a child.
ReplyDelete