MEMORY'S DRAWERS

[I was six in 1936 ... ]

In nineteen thirty-six I was little,
With my hair in a fringe, with a plait.
I'd a blue pleated skirt, and a nice white ironed shirt,
And a tie that did up - at the back.
I'd a round velour hat with elastic,
In a knot that I chewed till I'd choke,
But so often my doings were stopped short in ruins
When my knicker elastic broke.

Mummy took me to the Draper's,
A new Liberty Bodice to buy,
Because I'd grown out of the old one,
And my spender tapes just wouldn't tie.
It was fleecy, with all rubber buttons -
The sort you could sniff, squeeze and stroke,
But just as they bundled me in it,
My knicker elastic broke.

I did sums on my slate in the schoolroom,
Where the black Tortoise stove kept us warm,
And I learned to read - "Pooh", and "Just William" too,
And I carved my name - wrong - on the form.
And once a week Teacher's big wireless
With music the whole school awoke,
And for dear Betty Driver I danced then
Till my knicker elastic broke.

Where WAS Children's Hour on the Wireless,
And WHERE was my dear Uncle Mac?
There was just dull old music and voices.
When I groused, they said: "Don't answer back!"
Then they told me the old King was dying,
And they said that he'd died when I woke.
And I cried then, 'cos Mummy was crying,
Then my knicker elastic broke!

How I longed to be like Shirley Temple,
Whom I'd watched from my threepenny seat!
But I'd straight hair and pimples - she had curls and dimples:
In "Good Ship Lollipop" she was sweet!
So I thought I'd do "Animal Crackers" -
That would show them! - they found it a joke,
'Cos I wasn't like Shirley - I was square, squat and burly,
And my knicker elastic broke.

At School, Teacher told us one morning:
"Now, children, today's Empire Day,
And we're all going out in the playground,
Our respects to our dear Flag to pay!"
So we marched ourselves round in a circle,
And then into singing we broke:
"Grenadiers!" Rule Britannia!" "God Save Our ... !"
Then my knicker elastic broke.

Then Dad said our new King was leaving,
And he wouldn't be wearing his crown.
And when I asked "Why?" They said "Hush!" "Bye and bye",
And they said to be quiet and sit down.
And they said not to sing my new song then
(sing Hark the Herald Angels sing,
Mrs. Simpson's pinched our King)
Cos they said that it asn't a joke,
And everything seemed to be wrong then,
And my knicker elastic broke.

The Bishop was coming to visit,
And we all had to wear our white frocks.
I had black, shiny shoes with a button,
And some dreadfully tight white silk socks.
To the Bishop I made my small curtsey,
And I couldn't quite hear when he spoke,
But he patted me - twice! - on my hair band -
Then - my knicker elastic broke.

And so, through the drawers of my memory,
For the year of nineteen thirty-six
While world peace tottered, one small girl just pottered -
But there's one recollection that sticks.
From a patchwork of half-understood things
Comes a picture that time can't revoke:
In every crisis in my small devices -
MY KNICKER ELASTIC BROKE!
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