Winter

 

Back in the day winter did it to you, cold night at first light, carpet floor where steps went, glass at each window sheets of ice that bear repeating in these update times of Tongan volcano afterglow, sunsets orange at the end of the day. Back in the day you could barely get the words out, without an idea of what they might mean by the end of the day, best digital copperplate. Back in the day dairy-cart horse emerged from fog addresses ahead of bottles hand-delivered, their glass rattle a metal memory to one whose latte hisses alive at breakfast counter over blessing dissing chat of last night’s theatre, at the end of the day bonkers. Back in the day thousands of grown-ups’ average English words went in one ear and out the other that you grown-up turn over in your mind for mighty meanings between reading and empty space, euphemisms and emails at the end of the day. Back in the day dogbox smoking compartments infused clothing, were stacked with schoolbags Malvern rooftops sailing by brass monkey door handles opening into a smoke-free vision for fully masked view finders at the end of the day all the long bluestone embankments. School grounds back in the day wrote in shouts and limericks something it can take even seventy years to set to rights, set to music, at the end of the day get straight, or slant. Back in the day freedom versus communism cold war news was unfolded its after-effect of ink shadow on fingers that lately touch type the whorls thin for download headlines in a black pocket each minute cold Canberra at the end of the day its new world order. Back in the day winter spoke of outside worlds, boundaries unfamiliar with time that time alone at the end of the day may familiarise. Back in the day a prize shilling bought you the pastie, the bag of mixed lollies slowly selected the musk stick that add to the changes on card credit small changes ringing mental bells at the end of the day. Back in the day paper levered into the writetyper a hammering of cute letters whole paragraphs scrunched long ago as, at the bend of the display, new Roman right-type documents inch below the level of computer design at the end of the day control-S save. Back in the day family had to speak in turn just to get a word in that a lifetime rectifies with more conversations than anyone can keep up with at the end of the day edgeways. Back in the day British black-and-white contested American afterschool funny pictures as back street lights came on and briquette smoke scented the shady acacia gardens no equal at the end of the day to your 70 mm arthouse dreams. Perhaps ‘Back in the Day’ as a title for your collection of dream poems, or leave alone with your imaginary friend at the end of the day, the psychotherapist of the bedroom ceiling.