Sunburn

When we were kids we used to climb trees, Get grubby hands; scrape the skin off our knees. We jumped in deep puddles and made big mud pies, But what you said next made me shudder inside. You sat in the sun; I sat in the shade, With mum’s homemade ice cream and pink lemonade. We shared all our secrets, our comics and toys; Had the same pin ups and kissed the same boys. As we sat with our wine and thought of the past, Of the fun that we’d had; a shadow was cast. You said I was black and the dirt didn’t show, I was speechless with shock, but you didn’t know. As you sit in the sun, turning darker than me I try to figure out the way that you see. How do I tell you, will you understand? An off hand remark, burns inside like a brand.