All our Bittern Streets

All our Bittern Streets

I paused awhile on Bittern Street.
Well, where it used to be
And saw once more my childhood friends
Of nineteen forty- three.

Beneath those wartime trace line skies
What games we used to play
With Postman’s Knock in blacked out blocks
And shrapnel hunts by day.

How innocent we were then
How carefree was our world
Despite the mayhem all around
As history unfurled.

No reins were held upon our lives
We wandered free and far
Through shattered streets of London town
But dwelt in Shangri-la.

Now time has flown, wild seeds been sown
Those friends moved far away.
I dreamed awhile on Bittern Street
And saw them all today.

Frederick John Start

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