#179 Kevin Brophy 'What is this picture?'

#179 ‘What is this picture?’

If there was sand everywhere outside

And the days were always sunny

And nearly everyone went barefoot

And the boys wore football jumpers,

And the women wore colourful cast offs,

If the cars had children on their roofs,

And if the shop shut in the early afternoon

And the mail arrived only once a week

And each sunset outdid the last

And if the birds would not leave

And no one collected the rubbish

And only a few seemed to do any work

And the evenings started early and went on

With singing and drumming around the place

And hardly anyone combed their hair any more

And even the school teachers let their hair down

And cooking on coals was what everyone did

And there was a lake nearby where you could swim

Or watch the water birds in their hundreds bob,

If the roads were there for the children to play on

And people sat at a table out in the open, talking,

Would you think you were on a holiday?