Pictures from Holland

One ragged scarecrow alone in a field
Waves to the train which is gathering speed.

Two long-billed storks perched on a rooftop
Stand on one leg and bask in the sun.

Three whitewashed windmills turn in the wind,
Pumping the water or grinding the corn.

Four painted barges in nose-to-tail line
Follow their leader along the canal.

Five white ponies in a buttercup field
Scamper away at the sight of the train.

Six mottled cows at the red stable door
Wait to be milked at the end of the day.

Seven bells chiming high in the steeple,
Telling the time to the people below.

Eight wooden clogs on eight pretty feet
Dance on the cobbles beside the canal.

Nine fishing boats tied up at the quay
And fishermen drying their nets in the sun.

Ten children of Holland cycling to school
Wait by the bridge for the train to go by.

My secret

I have a secret for you,
Let me whisper in your ear,
You mustn’t tell another soul,
I don’t want them to hear.

Just bend a little lower
And turn your face this way,
Now shut your eyes and listen
To what I have to say:

Of all the people in the world,
Of things and creatures too,
The one I love the best of all
Is somebody called You!

1980

Hanging out the washing

I really do not understand
Why Mummy has to start each day
By hanging all the children’s clothes
Upon a line, high in the sun.

But all the same I love to watch
My nappies flapping in the wind,
With Helier’s shorts and Lucy’s tights.
All holding hands and blowing free.

From time to time throughout the day
My Mummy goes to feel the clothes,
And if it rains she rushes out
To bring them back into the house.

I trot beside her up the path
And watch the sun shine through the sheets,
It’s playing hide and seek with me
Behind the branches of the trees.

By teatime when the sun has moved
Around the house towards the West,
My Mummy goes to bring them in,
All full of summer air and sun.

For Beatrice, 18 months, who loves to hang out the washing with Judy. 8.3.78