ashtrays in cinemas

ashtrays in cinemas

(copyright)

that was cavendish woodhouse and vallances in cleckheaton

vallances with the televisions

that was the man that used to come round and collect the money from the back of our television

with his moustasche and his combed hair and his breast pocket pen

that was the mills and men


that was chocolate raisins and spaceships in strawberry square

that was pick n mix in woolies

that was Old Ben with his stick protruding stepping from his door

that was skateboarding down steep hills

broken windows and ash trays in cinemas

ink spills


that was nineteen eighty

with it's park swings and pound notes

and union men and racist slang and front garden boats

net curtains washed on a friday

walkman, cassettes and radio one

jumpers down, it's ten nine to us

we'd play beyond the setting sun


that was Mr Binns reading White Fang and Nineteen Eighty Four

a whole five years before The Head On The Door

never speaking to girls yet and home before four

walk around the edges Mum bleached the floor

AC/DC on my bedroom door

that was nineteen eighty

flashing at the door

of memory

GK 11/11/09