Looking To the Future

This poignant poem was written by Marie Hindmarsh, reminiscing about times gone by, and looking forward to the future.

Looking To the Future

When I was a child I have to say
Life was so different than it is today.
No TV or phone not even a car,
We walked everywhere, either near or far.
We shared what we had with one another.
I learnt respect that was taught by my mother.
We made our own fun playing out in the sun
Till it went down, and day was done.

Nothing came easy and times were rough,
We smiled through it all, it made us tough.
We had enough to eat even though food was on ration,
We scoffed what we ate like it was going out of fashion.
No fancy restaurants or a convenient drive through.
Pie and mash shops, fish and chips a greasy cafe or two.
These were special treats as was a Sunday roast,
But more often than not, jam spread on a slice of toast.

Hand me down clothes was nothing new,
Holes in our socks where our toes poked through.
Plimsolls in the summer no sandals for us,
Wellington boots in the winter, no point in making a fuss.
A coal fire in one room to keep away the cold,
This would not have been enough, for the frail and very old.
No electric fires either, no washing machine,
The linen boiled in a copper till white and clean.
No wringer, no dryer just a line in the yard.
The women of those days had it really hard.

The kids today don’t know they are born!
I’m only comparing, I don’t mean to scorn.
With iPad’s laptops and video games to play,
They really have it easy, wouldn’t you say?
Every teen has a cell phone which is an extension of their hand,
But does it make a difference, are they a happy band?
It’s hard to imagine what the future brings,
With today’s technology there will be many new things.
There’s too much taken for granted maybe we parents are to blame?
We wanted better for our children, in that there is no shame.

Although they have it all, my childhood I wouldn’t exchange.
I had loving friends and family and that you can’t arrange.
The thing I hope and pray for is that peace should lie ahead,
Too many lives have been lost thus far, too many tears been shed.
So now I’m in my twilight years I only want the best
I’ll leave that to this generation and pray they do the rest.

Written by Marie Hindmarsh