r/nostalgia

Sitting in the cold back room on
Christmas visits, claiming there's a film
on BBC2 or Channel 4 I'd like to see
ok watch it in the back room
there's some turkey and salad in the fridge

Often there was no vital film, do you
get the picture, I just needed my space
and also let's face it somewhere I could top up
the vodka from my personal supply,
while they snoozed in the hot front room

All those seasons all those years
felt like they'd last forever and they did
the leftovers, vodka top-ups, making calls
on the hands free set or whatever we called it before
mobiles and the internet
if you can even remember that far
back which you can't

Plans which came to nothing, vast
oceans of wastefulness and regret while
some random film played in the back room
Free Willy or E.T.*
neither of which I had any desire to see but
then E.T. got me tearful and I felt disgusted
and why is always so cold back here

Walked past the old house recently, 25 years since
I was last in that front or back room and I'd give
anything to watch Thelma and Louise or Airplane! there again
pouring Smirnoff into a can of Coke
making my sad phone calls
to scattered friends, just checking in before
heading upstairs frazzled and listening to
the Festive Fifty

* Yes, it's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial