Parting and Departing

Thlast time we walked yurr,
thee nme old codgers
we was in short trousers.
Twas a raw day, remember?
No! yremember nowt. Yminds
woolly as an unshorn sheep;
ts given yer memory the slip.
We walked along this promenade.
Talk about shiver! In them days,
on tbeach side, was a balustrade, bum height
to us boys. Shiny new paint, so smart;
town shields in gold on black posts nrails.
Made a fit divide, like, between
us as walked and them as swam;
like a line of proud soldier-men
in proper place, holding firm.
Yhad pennies from yer Dads Nan.
Bought fboth of us ice-cream.
Theres us two yurr now, but Im alone,
n all the proud rails, fer a war, melted down.

© E.A.M. Harris