Turning the Clock Back

sometimes i return to that cold

back bedroom on the first floor of

my grandparent's old terraced home

where my legs fidget in bed

as my younger sister dreams

soundly beneath rose candlewick

while i count on my abacus fingers

tube trains as they rattle along

electric rails on top of tall arches

where brickwork is blackened by

smog in the shade of the oldest tree

in a postage stamp garden

flooding the room with false light

shaking the sash windows

twitching the jaundiced net curtains

out of their slumber while i try

my hardest to fall like Alice  down

the rabbit hole into wonderland

and eventually ..........into sleep

Reviews

[Neville]

one does not need an imagination to find oneself transported somehow to that cold back bedroom on the first floor of some old terraced house .. had you not mentioned your grandparents though, I could have sworn it was 24 spencer bridge Rd .. and my younger brother beneath the rose candlewick ..

Neville

[Chris Shaw]

The bedroom may have been cold but the memories couldn't have been warmer. A comfort zone. Thank you Neville. Pleased you could relate and in a happy way.

Chris

[red93]

Excellent Work again Chris - evocative, pictorial, nostalgic - like a film from the 1950s or 1960s - really exceptional in its resonances, echoing.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Tony. I did put some effort into this piece, so pleased it worked well for you. Have a happy Friday.

Chris

[Soren]

Chris I think most of us can identify with this image. What makes a poem or any writing timeless is its ability to connect with so many people. How many times I have laid down to thoughts of the past and the desire to "crawl back down the rabbit hole" Very well done.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Soren. I appreciate you checking in with your thoughts. All good wishes.

Chris

[Temperance]

I love the tone you used in this. It is calming and encourages that distant sleep. Thank you!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Temperance. Pleased that you stopped by to share your thoughts.

Chris

[Audie G. Couch]

Great piece Chris,
I enjoyed it a lot. This being about a moment in your life when you were younger made me think about my own past.
In addition to this, I believe your level of detail and word choice was amazing.
Keep up the good work =-)
A.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Audie, thank you for your very positive review. Your stopping by is most appreciated and valued.

Chris

[Audie G. Couch]

Your welcome Chris, I always love reading your work. Filled with excellence and wisdom, I can't get enough.
Truly

[Robert Haigh]

I often suffer from insomnia. I wear wax earplugs (the foam ones are useless), but I still have trouble sleeping some nights. Looking back on life is something we all do, quite naturally. Memories can be bitter-sweet, but they are still precious. Nicely penned piece.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Robert. I'm still an insomniac years later :) I appreciate you stopping by to review this childhood memory. All the best.

Chris

[Jo Billygoat]

Ahh slumber, to be a wee little one again, whenst sleep came easily.

I no longer, or barely ever, reach RIM sleep. So to dream is a dream.

Thanks for your sharing the memories of your dream.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Jo Billy goat for stopping by to review this childhood memory. Pleased to meet you.
read moreMany thanks Jo Billy goat for stopping by to review this childhood memory. Pleased to meet you.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

Odd how old memories can come back to us. Hard to say what summons them, but it is said the subconscious records everything perfectly. Here we see a flashback to the speaker's youth, when she once envied her sister's ability to fall asleep. Amazing how the smallest details can be recaptured. Hope you eventually got to sleep.

[Chris Shaw]

It seems I have been an insomniac for a long time. Yes, I can remember some of these memories in a great deal of detail. Thanks forcstopping by John.

Chris

[Dave]

Chris - thank you so much. She's been gone for so long and I don't take the time to remember. She was such a joy, caring, and loving. Knowing I loved trains so whenever she went to visit her sister on the train she would always take me. A plate of ice cream at Gimbels Dept. Store and then the subway. I got to have what I remember having my first grilled cheese sandwich on one of those trips.
Take care - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased my poem reminded you of your own grandmother Dave. Thank you for sharing her with me.

Chris

[lightsong]

I don't have such heartwarming memories of my grandparents but I can relate to this as I believe any reader will do because all of us have this certain memory, place, feeling... of our childhood that no matter what, we will always be bonded to and return from time to another, the innocence of of our hearts, the pureness of our souls, the light of love, of divine of everything is possible... that wasn't affected by any reality as we were children... that's where the adults us want to go back, home.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you lightsong for sharing your thoughts. I am very fortunate to have lovely memories of my time living with my grandparents. This was one of them.

Chris

[Carola]

i love this poem, such a great read, chris
i can sleep through a loud thunderstorm no problems, don't think a smoke alarm would ever wake me.
cheerio carola

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Carola. Wish I slept as soundly as you. I've been an insomniac forever :)

Chris