SHOPPING FIRST 1955

A 7 YEAR OLD GOES SHOPPING IN LONDON IN 1955 AND THINKS OF A BOY AND SWEETS AND WHERE TO GO.

Helen's mother said,
to get the shopping first,
then to go see Benny,

so Helen climbed down
the stairs with a handful
of coins, and a shopping list,

and along the street
to the grocer shop,
and waited there

behind Mrs Folkes
who had the look
of grim death

on her features,
and the smell of something,
Helen couldn't decide,

on her old fur coat,
and waiting there
she looked

at the small area
of sweet jars on the shelves,
all sorts of sweets

from fruit gums
to sherbet lemons,
and those Flying Saucer things

she liked to suck,
and she sighed because
she didn't have enough money

for even one,
not and get Mum's
shopping too,

and the shop assistant
served Mrs Folkes,
and that meant

Helen was next in-line,
and held the coins tightly,
thinking of meeting Benny

afterwards, and to go
some where, but Benny
didn't say where,

and she thought of him
his hazel eyes,
and brown hair,

and that quiff of hair
in front, and wondered:
where we'll go?

She mused,
last time they went
to Camberwell Green,

and saw shops,
and the hospital
Benny was born,

and before that
they'd been
to the herbalist shop,

and it rained,
and they stood there
watching the rain fall,

and Benny said
about some battle
where it'd rained,

but the place
or name
she couldn't recall.