When we picnicked on soft, green grass;
Where we drank from the sparkling river
And dived to her crisp, fresh depths?
Do you remember
When the sky was blue,
Right down to the horizon;
And grasses and flowers covered the hills?
Do you remember
When the garden was alive
With butterflies and bees
And birds singing in the trees?
Do you remember
Bright stars in a black night
Until the moon rose white and bright?
Do you remember
Walking in the woods;
Where the warm sunlight
Filtered through the trees
Felt cool upon your skin?
Do you remember
When the only things in the sea
Were salt, sea-weed and fish?
Lots of fish.
And the only things that washed up
on the beach
Were shells?
Remember
And tell your children;
We need them to believe.
I’m afraid they can’t remember.
READ MORE POEMS BY SHARON HEANEY STANSFIELD