Once

ONCE The pinnacle of life once - I was lucky, blessed with three magical figures. Walks in the fields, finger clutched for surety, Learned to love kites in the garden, Dug tons of beach castle sand, Painted black footprints and jingled car-key reindeer bells, And heads heavy on shoulder at night, Kitten in bed as well. And now the phone rarely rings Emails have become as snailmails. They are successes. Job well done. But I miss my three magical figures - Like the Pitcairn mutineers longing for home Or an emigrant Scot hearing dream bagpipes. Nothing lasts forever - Tides wash away castles, Kites lose buoyancy, Walks reach their terminus, Kittens become cats, Stories in bed end with sleep.