we were told to stay indoors
the marchers were coming through
it wasn’t safe on the streets they said
in a way they were right
there were dangerous ideas in the air
we were young and impressionable
and perhaps they thought we might see
what was written on the placards
so we stayed in and watched TV
saw Valerie Singleton on Blue Peter
performing miracles with cardboard tubes
and sticky-backed plastic
while the marchers spray-painted
U.S. GET OUT OF VIETNAM
on the wall at the end of our street
in six-foot high letters
next morning on my way to school
I saw them and realised
I’d missed something wonderful
.
Dominic Rivron
.