GRANDAD Copyright © John Snell 2009

Where once a smile, a cheeky grin
And yes there was stubble on your chin
But we used to chat about this and that
Whilst I was perched up on your lap
Oh and remember how you made disappear
A coin, by putting it in your ear
And how you took it out the other side

Sharpness of brain, swiftness of hand
No, I didn’t understand
How it was done, just thought you were clever
Far cleverer than me
And that is how I always wanted it to be

Remember those times you made us toys
For Christmas, and midst lots of noise
We unwrapped trapeze artist, fire engine, all from wood
You would have given us the world if you could
But times were hard, even we could see
My brother’s clothes handed down to me
They fitted, but only just
We didn’t complain, or create a fuss
Got on with life with smiles on our faces
Oh yes, what about those old pram races
Up and down the road we’d go
Promised Mum that we’d go slow
But we didn’t!

Those spinning tops you made for us, we played for hours
Tug of war midst all your flowers
Destroyed beyond recognition that single row
Of prize chrysanths for the village show
Skipping rope, we all could play
Continuous fun, no delay
Uninterrupted by a car
Because then they were few and far

I’ve noticed recently you’ve got a bit confused
Thought you did this to keep us amused
But I know now, from that constant stare
You’ve gone somewhere, but I don’t know where
Wish I did, so I could come
And we could have the type of fun
We used to have while Dad was at war
Unlike you he was a bit of a bore
You were different, enjoyed all the fun
Even though you couldn’t run
You could laugh, you could shout
You didn’t care who was about
You would, without delay, put down your tool
And act with us the merry fool

Granddad! Mum tells me I can’t come
To meet up with you, have our fun
If that’s the case, I’d just like you to know
I think you’re the greatest and miss you so.