POEM: That Was The Room (Upon a Visit to My Old Childhood Home)

 That was the room of disappointments and success

That was the room I always kept such a mess

That was the room where I had great ideas

That was the room where I developed my fears

That was the room where I first heard punk

That was the room I vowed straightedge, not drunk

That was the room we always knew was haunted

That was the room whose view was most vaunted

That was the room whose walls I did hit

That was the room that was never well lit

That was the room the builders fucked up

That was the room that would never shut up

That was the room where I wrote my first song

That was the room that always felt wrong

That was the room where we brokered the peace

That was the room where their marriage did cease

That was the room that never brought comfort

That was the room where I learnt how to subvert

That was the room where we had the big fight

That was the room where we stayed up all night

That was the room where I lost my virginity

That was the room where I rejected the Trinity

That was the room where I fell in love with reading

That was the room I got bandaged when bleeding

That was the room where I last threw up

That was the room where I finally grew up

That was the room where we found our cat dead

That was the room where the family was fed

That was the room where dad told us he was leaving

That was the room where, when he died, we all started grieving

That was the room where the Christmas Tree stood

That was the room where we learnt bad from good

That was the room where I wrote my first poem

That was the room where I knew where I was going

That was the room where a policeman once sat

That was the room where we pissed, showered and shat

That was the room where we loved and we hated

That was the room where we were devastated

That was the room where you binged and you purged

That was the room where our personalities emerged

That was the room where we got our hearts broken

That was the room where great truths were spoken

That was the room where we hid a surprise

That was the room where we told our best lies

That was the room where we put on our shows

That was the room where big choices got chose

That was the room I lay scared and awake

That was the room where I made a mistake

That was the room where I heard Bowie and typing

That was the room where I hide when they’re fighting

That was the room where I dropkicked the door

That was the room – but it’s not that room anymore.