3rd December 2025

 

russet apples

a taste of childhood

dad's old tree

© Rachel Green December 2025

On An Influential Childhood Friend

Didst thou get into mischief as a child;

or wert thou already rotten to the core?

parental blame was shared while thou ran wild

and stole what was not nailed down before.

Thy father died whilst thou wert still unweaned

thy mother older than the matron's pack

But what little of thy history was gleaned

had naught to do with empathy thou lack.

Thy mother's house a treasure trove of yore

filled with junk gleaned from the town without

and glittered well with trinkets from the store

that “fell” into thy pockets without doubt.

 The local bobby knew thy talent deft

 recovered from thy garage all thy theft.

© Rachel Green December 2025