Lindsay

I was five, you, ten years older And you had me straddling The saddle of your broad shoulders You, charging like a stallion, around The suburban garden, sun-bright. Me, so high above the ground Screaming with panic and delight Trying, through my laughter, To shout out, “Left!”, “No Right!” To avoid the near disaster Of crashing through the monstera Or the jacaranda Or of toppling into the drive. Like everything you did for me There was an element of a lesson But I still get my left and right confused sometimes And I still feel the need to have you save me from the monsteras. © Barry Freeman 24th April 2021