Autobiography

Continuing my autobiography in poetry.

I was by nature a solitary child. There was an alley at the end of the cul-de-sac that I lived on which led out to where the other kids played. I was far too timid to go and join them. Instead I had my own place, a completely enclosed area at the rear of our neighbours house that nobody went into. You could only get into it by climbing our tree and jumping over the fence.

Safe and Secret Places: Part 1 – Dream a life

Close your eyes and feel the heat
Of the sunlight on your face.
Nobody can find you here
In your safe and secret place.
Mother doesn’t know you're gone.
Father hasn’t missed you yet.
Every second in this place
Is a time you won’t forget.

In the corner of the garden
Behind a long forgotten fence
You found your safe and secret place
Without an adult audience.
The grass is overgrown and wild.
The swing stands patiently and waits
For the coming of a child
Who scales the rusty, padlocked gates.

Close your eyes and dream a life
In your safe and secret place
The world may seem too big and fast
But here, it’s you who sets the pace.
Outside you may be scared to run,
To turn the corner, join the game
But this place is yours and yours alone
Unquestioned by a counterclaim.