I come from…

(after Bread and Butter by Jo Roach)

I come from women once called Smith,
Square Crisps, Findus Crispy Pancakes,
Sundays at my auntie’s pub;
All the grown ups smoking ciggies
While we play darts with crisps and Coke.

I come from making dens and breaking legs,
From watching El Cid with my dad
To sudden splits and postcode changes,
Free places at the private school –
I’m sorry, we don’t have a pool.

I come from hamsters, rabbits, Sam the dog,
He-Man, Rainbow, penny sweets;
I come from Amstrad, Sinclair, Commodore;
Feed the world and the Costa del Sol,
Chernobyl and the Berlin Wall.

I come from women left who won’t remarry,
Investing all their love in two small girls.

(Lyndi Smith, May 2011)