We love to receive letters from our readers. Today we are delighted to share this wonderful poem, written by Donald House, a resident of Stoke Gifford Retirement Village in Bristol. In this poem, Donald shares his memories of an outing made by his Sunday School group.
MY ANNUAL SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTING
WAS OF COURSE A LONG AWAITED TREAT.
IT USUALLY WAS TO THE SEASIDE,
TRAVELLING THERE BY AN OLD STEAM TRAIN,
IT WAS USUALLY STANDING ROOM ONLY,
THERE NEVER WAS A SEAT!
FROM THE RESORT STATION WE MARCHED IN SINGLE FILE,
BUT TO US LITTLE KIDS (WITH LITTLE LEGS),
IT SEEMED LIKE 20,000 LEAGUES,
BUT IN FACT, IT WAS LITTLE OVER A MILE!
WE GATHERED ALTOGETHER, THERE ON THE BEACH,
YES! WE HAD A BIG PICNIC BY THE SEA
WATCHING AN AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE OF
PUNCH AND JUDY.
A VERY SEASIDE FAVOURITE, WE ALWAYS HAD TO SEE.
OF COURSE, OUR MUM HAD MADE A SPECIAL PICNIC LUNCH,
(USUALLY, SANDWICHES FILLED WITH TASTY CUCUMBER AND JAM)
SADLY, FOR US (AS IT WAS STILL WAR-TIME)
THERE WASNT ANY BEEF, NOR WAS THERE ANY HAM!
THEY (THE TASTY SANDWICHES),
LIVED UP TO OUR GREAT EXPECTATIONS,
THEY USUALLY ENDED UP PEPPERED WITH SEASIDE SAND,
AS WE CAREFULLY PASSED THEM AROUND BETWEEN US,
HAND TO HAND, AND HAND TO HAND!
AS GRATEFUL KIDS OF THE FORTIES
WE DIDNT THEN COMPLAIN,
WE WERE SO VERY GLAD THAT WE WERE EATING OUR
SANDWICHES IN THE SUNSHINE AND,
NOT LIKE LAST YEAR, EATING THEM IN THE RAIN!
AFTERS WAS USUALLY A TASTY HARD-BOILED EGG,
BUT, AS GROWING YOUNGSTERS WE WERE HUNGRY STILL,
SO, FOR MORE FOOD WE HAD TO BEG,
(FOR A PRESENT DAY CHEESEBURGER WE WOULD WANT TO KILL).
AS THE DAY PROGRESSED, WE PADDLED IN THE SEA,
BUT FOR US POOR HUNGRY SCAVINGERS,
THERE WAS NO SIGN OF TEA!
THANK GOODNESS MUM WAS A MAGICIAN,
SHE WAVED HER MAGIC WAND!
(AS WE WERE ABOUT TO COLLAPSE AND FALL DOWN AND DIE)
SHE DUG DEEP INTO HER CARRIER BAG,
AND AMAZINGLY PRODUCED – A LYONS CHERRY PIE!
A VISIT TO THE FUNFAIR (ON THE PIER)
WAS THE NEXT STEP FOR US TO TAKE,
FIRST TO HAVE A STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE AND
FOLLOWED BY A PIECE OF CURRANT CAKE.
THE HELTER-SKELTER FIRST CALLED US,
AS DID THE BUMPY DODGEMS TOO,
BUT BEST OF ALL, FOR US KIDS,
WERE THE GHOST TRAIN AND THE CRAZY HOUSE,
AS YOU GOT FOUR RIDES FOR THE PRICE OF TWO!
YES! WE COULD HAVE STAYED ON THE PIER ALL DAY,
ON THE ROUNDABOUTS AND ON THE SWINGS
ALL DAY TO STAY, AND DAWDLE THE DAY AWAY,
ON ALL THOSE FASCINATING RIDES AND THINGS.
THE SLOTS OF COURSE WERE TEMPTING US INNOCENT
LITTLE ONES OVER SEVEN,
WE DREAMT OF WINNING OUR FORTUNE,
ON A JOURNEY ABOVE, TO OUR SEVENTH HEAVEN.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTINGS TO THE SEASIDE WOULD NOT BE THE SAME,
IF WE HADNT THEN HAD SOME CANDY FLOSS AND A
STICK OF ROCK,
AND IF WE WERE SICK ON THE JOURNEY HOME,
WE WOULD THEN KNOW WHO TO BLAME!
DONKEY RIDES ON OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTING
FOR US LITTLE KIDS, WAS CERTAINLY A MUST,
AS WE CANTERED ALONG THE SHORELINE,
KICKING UP THE SAND AND MUD, AS OF COURSE THERE WAS NO DUST.
THE DONKEYS DID SMELL LIKE REAL BEASTS OF BURDEN
THEY BROUGHT OUR MEMORIES OF LAST YEAR BACK
AS WE PRETENDED, WE WERE COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS,
RACING ACROSS THE PRAIRIES,
OR PERHAPS ON A MOUNTAIN TRACK.
WE WOULD JOCKEY EACH OTHER FOR FIRST PLACE,
IN REALITY, THE LITTLE DONKEYS WERE CASUALLY WALKING VERY SLOWLY,
AT A VERY SLOW WALKING PACE!
CHIPS WRAPPED UP IN A DIRTY NEWSPAPER,
DOUSED IN VINEGAR AND SALT WAS USUALLY FOR TEA,
IT ADDED TO THE MEMORIES OF OUR
SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTINGS OUR OUTINGS BY THE SEA.
AND, AS THE DAYLIGHT FADED
AND, AS THE SUN BEGAN TO DIP,
IT WAS THEN TIME FOR US TO HEAD HOMEWARD,
AND TO END OUR SPECIAL ANNUAL TRIP.
OUR LITTLE LEGS WERE NOW SO TIRED
BUT MUM SAID, IT WAS NOT NOW THE TIME FOR US TO MOAN,
NOW WAS NOT THE TIME FOR US TO WANDER FURTHER
OR TO FURTHER ROAM.
LIKE TIRED AND WEARY YOUNGSTERS,
TO THE TRAIN STATION WE MEANDERED BACK,
VERY READY FOR A CRAFTY SNOOZE (ON THE TRAIN).
YES! WE WERE VERY READY, TO HIT THE PROVERBIAL SACK.
WE HAD VERY MUCH ENJOYED OUR OUTING,
A GREAT DAY HAD INDEED BEEN HAD BY ONE AND ALL,
ALTHOUGH NOT QUITE AS EXCITING AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN,
AT A CINDERELLA BALL!
WE NATURALLY LOOKED FORWARD TO NEXT YEARS
ANNUAL SUNDAY SCHOOL TREAT,
PERHAPS, THE NASTY WAR WOULD BE OVER THEN,
AND WE WOULD HAVE OUR ANNUAL OUTING AT HOME
WITH A CELEBRATION PARTY NOT FAR FROM OUR VERY OWN HOME
IN A FRIENDLY NEXT-DOOR STREET AND,
AT THAT TIME WITH REAL SANDWICHES
FILLED UP WITH REAL HAM AND WITH REAL MEAT.
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