This Is Me

A family of five in a basement flat Two rooms, tight, but hearts intact shared a toilet with the folks next door The lobby between with a wooden floor Tin bath dragged beside the fire each week Heat from the coals and the smoke it did reek Kids bathed in turn, I was last the last one Being the youngest isn’t much fun No cars cluttered this city street Only kids with scuffed shoes and dancing feet Boys kicked balls, or battered cans Girls skipped rope with clapping hands Tenem

My father left when I was sixteen But his lessons stayed No fireworks, just patience and a quiet strength The kind that teaches you to Breathe through pain, hardship and…. Well, life really Down in the depths of a dark coalmine In the shadows of fear Through the sweat and the toil My old journeyman said “Work to the best of your abilities You might just find you enjoy it” And I did I found pride in effort I found power in the grind I found strength in the struggle The army ca