“I remember” said the old man,
“When I’d go for a walk on a Sunday and listen to the birds”
“A walk!!” said his grandson,
“A walk in the daylight!?.
When the sun shines at its hottest!
Were you mad?!”
“No my lovely” was the reply.
“I was only eight then. Now I’m an old man.
Too weak and ill to do anything very much “
“But you’re not yet sixty grandpa!”
Mum says “that’s not old!”
“It wouldn’t have been old some years ago.
But now, with daylight hours spent indoors,
Food and water being scarce,
So many restrictions to face and all the constraints on seeing my friends,
I FEEL OLD”
“What was it like then Gramps, when you were my age?”
“How old are you now then boy?
Eight? Nine?”
“I’ll be ten in September Gramps.
There’ll be a bigger food allowance for me then!
Mum says she can’t wait cos I’m always hungry!!”
“Ten years old!” reflected his Grandpa a faraway look in his eyes.
“When I was ten and the sun shone
I’d meet with my mates, Chris and Dan
And we’d go fishing, or out on our bikes, or over the park looking for adventures.
It was a wonderful, glorious time, feeling totally free.”
“What! No RESTRICTIONS?! “ said the boy
“None!.
Total freedom to just – BE!”
“That sounds so weird !” said his grandson in disbelief.
“It was WONDERFUL!
It is GONE!
Bloody Global Warming!!”
Jan bach-