WHERE WERE YOU subtitled What were you doing on?

        They joy of writing poetry is that you never know when a poem is going to come along demanding to be written.The following poem was written over twenty years after the event it describes and I have no idea as to why the seed suddenly grew,as it was written nowhere near the anniversary of the tragic event in question.It first appeared in my second collection of poetry"DEAR TOM". Published in 1988 when I was writing pieces which have now been published in "THE FARMHOUSE  TREE."

     Now seems a suitable time to let it see the light of day again.

            WHERE WERE YOU?  subtitled WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON..........?

I was standing by one of the refectory tables,

"Sanctify O Lord this food to our use,

And us to Thy service for Jesus Christ's sake.Amen"

My mind wandering as it always did through grace.

Will I look old enough to get into the pub?

Will my girlfriend?

Will Utd win their match?

Will it be orange squash or lemonade?

Will the sandwich filling be meat paste or marmite?

Please don't let it be anchovy.

Most importantly will there be cream buns?

I remember the housemaster standing by the door.

Usually he couldn't wait to leave the dining hall,

But that night he  continued to stand there fidgeting

And fiddling with the buttons on his jacket cuff

Before making his announcement.And all of us wanting to eat.

Through the door a glimpse of the food trolley.

Row upon row of green and blue plastic beakers.

And are those buns on the bottom tier of the trolley?

Perhaps there'll be seconds.I love cream buns.

".....,.President Kennedy has been assassinated!......"

Today I cannot even remember the date,

The day,not even the month,not even the year?

But I do remember there  were cream buns,

And seconds which nobody wanted.