For the Sake of Old Time Friends comic poem 382 by Angela Lansbury

For the sake of our long lost friends

We have' gathered together today

I want to hear news from you all

But first hear what I have to say

Years ago, small, we went to school

Grew, one teenage girl was randy

The boys were always watching her

One of the big boys was handy

Alas, teachers were too trusting

They lacked a basic roll call rule

In a mixed school get mixed up, lost

Facts of life lessons can be cruel

We still can't be sure why she left

Where she hid, holidayed, was sent

Whether the child survived and thrived

What she did later, where she went

We learned a lot of book lessons

Geography and history

Our schooldays were a comedy

A tragedy and mystery

Some questions still are unanswered

We wonder how each story ends

And that is why we gather here

To learn the secrets from old friends

One of them nods, knows a secret

But says,"Yyou must not pass it on

About the people who're long gone

Friends, after all I could be wrong'

Events and faces in my mind

The last names of all, I forget

But one name I remember well

I found him on the internet

He said, 'I can't come to meet you

I'm caring for my frail mother

But I'm still in touch with schoolfriends

I'll link you up with another

That new one led me to one more

I kept on adding, three to four

Then four to five, remarkable

That they're all thriving and alive

So we agreed a month to meet

We fixed a time to eat, mid-day

A half way point, the countryside

Remote, but it was fair, mid-way

When we met at the pub, for great grub,

A guessing game, black hair turned grey

I know the face, forget the name

How did that shy girl reach such fame?

Time to let quarrels be bygones

Now's not the time for raising blame

Now is a good time to lie again

Pretend, 'Old friend - you look the same'

The pub is comfy and cosy

We choose good food but healthy drink

The past we recall was rosy

We don't say the home truths we think

Although now that we're getting old

We're direct, perceptive and bold

We speak warmly, though once were cold

Now fondly embrace all our fold

We never liked uniform dress

We've made mistakes, laugh and confess

We shrug, waiting,  minor distress

We're glad our shared bill's not more, less

'though randy Joe still looks frisky

He's half asleep after whisky

We're no longer bored by the bores

But kindly smile when somebody snores

With laughter and smiles, roll back years

Forget all fears, wipe joyful tears

Goodbye, I hope that when  next year ends

We'll reunite revived old friends.

If stuck in bed, in a bedroom

Then we can meet again on Zoom.

-ends-

I though I would write a revised version of Auld Lang Syne in modern language. However, it turned into a retelling of the delightful reunion in 2003 of my husband's old schoolfriends from a mixed grammar school in London, Viners, in the UK.

Written Tuesday Feb 20th 2023, the first few lines started as I lay in bed in the early hours of the monring. Fortunately I got back to sleep, but was able to re-create the opening and reach a satisfing ending next afternoon. Copyright Angela Lansbury. But please share with friends links to this post.

Photo of a xoom toastmasters meeting reuniting Angela In London with others in Singapore.