Remembering those days when we
went to the Garden Settlement and
sang for the golden oldies.
Red and white checked uniforms for
the girls, blue and maroon for the boys;
no in-between in those days,
no difference at the Catholic School.
Smiling faces attached to
weather-beaten, toil-soaked bodies;
some were almost ready for whatever
comes next; others were bored and lonely.
Presents arrived for the residents,
or the older people who seemed to
be forgotten; they beam with joy.
We were too young to appreciate
what we saw until one day like today,
sitting at the window waiting for
the storm, I remember that day.
I remember their faces, now all dead,
no doubt. I feel sadness for their
loneliness and wonder if I want to
grow older in this country, the world.
C & K 