Yesterday's Freedom

Yesterday's Freedom

As I gaze about this home of mine, my mind begins to wander
To days that seem like yesterday, the yearning grows much stronger
To see the windows open wide, and welcome the cool change
But now the view is different, a sight that seems so strange

The trees and mountains are obscured with safety screens so sturdy
Detracting from the peacefullness, of children , insect, birdie.
I see the doors are quite secured with dead locks I abhor
What ever happened to the times , when neither rich nor poor

Would have the need to be suspect of everyone they met
The welcome mat was laid right out , in fact you could forget
Any thoughts , that visitors might do you any harm
That you may need assistance from the law with its long arm

Our elderly were treated, with respect that they deserved
Indeed their sense of dignity and worth was well preserved
They had no need to lock their doors from those who get their kicks
Bashing aged defenceless souls and threatening needle pricks.

Not only would the Baker, come in when you weren’t home
But the Ice-o and the Grocer would treat your house as own
You’d have a good arrangement that the payment could be left
Underneath the Biscuit tin , with ne’er a thought of theft

We kids would stay out in the streets, well past the setting sun
Beneath the light post we could play , until a call from Mum
Would see us bid our friends goodnight, our Treasure Hunt Delayed
Until tomorrow when we’d meet , adventure plans then made

For catching crawchies in the creek, with lump of steak and stocking
A horse manure cigarette, the flavour something shocking!
How proud we’d be to ride aloft in a sulky oh so grand
Fuel from concrete Water troughs, the cheapest in the Land!!

The rich and famous owned a car and plenty of space to park it
We knew that milk came from a cow and not the supermarket
Now I can only wonder what our Grandkids have in store
Will they have a chance to savour all the privileges we saw

Will they ever walk their Doggie , unless he’s on a leash
Will they ever have the feeling ’ tween toes out at the beach
Of sand,which is not needle strewn or littered with broken bottles
Or breath fresh air not ru-ined by, car exhausts and throttles.

Or maybe if they’re lucky, they’ll be fortunate to see
A Platypus , Koala , or a real live Cedar Tree
I fear they’ll never get the chance to camp beneath the stars
Nor swim in unpolluted creeks, save tadpoles in glass jars

They now must pay an entry fee to explore our National Parks
And gashes in the Landscape, are traces that now mark
Where development has taken o’er , they call it Urban sprawl
The Simple Life will disappear in little time at all

You have to stop and analyse, just what is going on
If we are prisoners in our homes, the best of life has gone
And if we have no freedom, to live , content, secure
It seems that carefree times are lost, gone for evermore.

So in the future, those to come , will have to do it tough
They’ll not regain those precious days, life’s pathway will be rough
But , with support from family, we’ll help them on their way
The loss of homespun Freedom , an exorbitant price to pay!