I remember when we first met
You said I stank while I thought I smelt good
For a boy who’d be playing all day
In the sun with a ball and a stick
And a small dog with a big bark
You were sitting in the shade of a paperbark
Tearing strips from the tree
Which you were rolling into tubes
And binding with string made from grass
You said they were Egyptian parchments
You were in the company of a porcelain doll
And a rather grumpy-looking teddy bear
The doll you called Nefertiti
The bear you called Tutankhamen
I thought you sounded exotic and clever
I stood outside the line of shade
Scuffing my dirty feet to make little dust clouds
Until you chastised me into stillness
Then you spoke to the doll and the bear
Like you were talking to real live people
You spoke of pyramids and promises on papyrus
Of days lost in desert sands dreaming of oasis’
Of camels and slaves and grand adventures
All the while answering for both your toys
In made up voices rich and full of character
I had no idea what you were talking about
But I couldn’t take my eyes off you
The summer sun glare hid your features
But it also made you glow like an angel
You had me completely and utterly enchanted
I wanted to ask what your name was
But my mouth was so dry I could hardly speak
So everything I said sounded garbled and thick
You teased me about this mercilessly
Then started on my clothes and my haircut
But you must have seen my expression
Because the next thing I heard was your laugh
You apologised and said you weren’t serious
Then invited me to sit in the shade with you
But all I could do was stand frozen in the sun
Again you laughed at my expression
And continued laughing until I moved
I stepped into the shade and into your spell
I squatted in the dirt near the grumpy bear
Not disturbing any more dust than absolutely necessary
It was then you told me you thought I smelt
But I knew you liked me because you smiled too
And you kept looking at me from under your bangs
Then you asked if I could sing ‘Frere Jacques’
I shook my head as you started singing
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines. Sonnez les matines.
Din, din, don. Din, din, don.
When I didn’t join in you shook your head and tutted
And asked if I knew ‘Sur le pont d’Avignon’
Again I shook my head but this time you saw
You asked me what songs I could sing
And all I could think of was ‘God Save The Queen’
You spent the rest of the afternoon teaching me songs
In a language I didn’t understand
You made me feel like I was capable of learning
Without the usual threat of constant punishment
Hanging over my ten year old head
We met at the paperbark throughout the rest of the summer
I yearned for those times without realising
I was madly, desperately and completely in love
The mere thought of you waiting under the tree
Was enough to send delicious spasms through me
As the summer faded into autumn
And the days, as they do, into weeks and months
We promised we would always stay together
Even though we didn’t really understand what always meant
Or even what together implied
Then one day I had to go back to school
Instead of meeting you in the shade under the tree
When the afternoon bell signalled my release
I ran all the way to the paperbark tree
Anticipation speeding my steps like never before
I sat there until the sun went down and the moon came up
I sat there while my parents worried about me
While the police were called and the search party formed
I sat and waited for you to appear
I stared at spots on the horizon wanting them to be you
My father found me the next morning
Asleep under the tree and using leaves as a blanket
He dragged me kicking and screaming home
Not before taking past the police station to apologise
And past the Volunteers tent to beg forgiveness
By the time I got home I was sore, sorry and very hungry
While I ate my breakfast my mother never let up
My sisters teased me mercilessly and my big brother
Who was always kind to me, gave me a clip under the ear
For making him stay up all night looking
But it was my Grandmother who gave me your letter
You’d decorated the envelope with gum nuts and leaves
I used my father’s silver letter opener to slice it open
I couldn’t think of who would be writing to me
But when I saw it was from you I started crying
My Grandmother wrapped me up in a big hug
There there-ing me and telling me it would be alright
She thought I was crying because I’d been punished
Little did she know I was actually crying happiness
Because I knew I’d never lose you again