The Times We Shared

Poem

The times we shared…
having a laugh while shovelling muck
that smelly gold that gardeners love
from which grows beautiful flowers
 
The times we shared…
watching movies both new and old
while the dogs jump and lick my face
my friends, the canine race
 
The times we shared…
caring for and jumping fickle thoroughbreds 
building crooked stables and fences
and eating tea-dunked digestives
 
The times we shared…
as a child I swam a hundred lengths
while she cried, “Come on, Son, you can do it!”
The support she gave in all life’s races
 
The times we shared…
the good times, the hard times, you know.
Maybe you have a mother too?
Love them, for they are precious things…
 
Did I just call my mother a thing?
At that she would have scolded me
with gentle laughter and engaging wit
the times we shared…