The Auld Lang Toun

I rememeber when I wis a wee loon
A wee, wee laddie frae the auld lang toun.

We wid a' gang doon tae the auld Mill Dam
An' fish the Tiel Burn and I caught an eel
Which fell intae the long grass and big Rab
Asked me to sit on the grass but I widnae,

Or gang doon the beach tae pick the buckies
And see them move aboot oor cup and squeal
And swim in the sea but no too far oot
Till it wiz time tae gang hame fir a meal.
.
 Or at Valley Park hae a kick aboot
An' see my braither tak a penalty -
Having never missed wan, ithers declared -
In truth, he'd never taen wan ony day !

Or hae gang doon tae the Beveridge Park
Wi ma mum and dad and hae a wee game
O' tennis and beat my dad sae sorely
As if he had gaen me the belt fir blame.

Or by train tae Burntisland’s outdoor pool
See my pal jump frae the tap board sae brave
Wi’ his airms ootstretched, but never the fool
 I cannae write doon the swear words he gave.

 The open swimming pool’s a floating feast
  Wi millions of dead fleas and a sea troot
   Fit fir ony swimming carrion beast
   But the gourmet meal I swam and swiped oot.

Or yon summers day walk tae Lochgelly
And fish for pike and perch at the loch pier
And get tar on oor feet as we walked hame -
Ah, youthful memories o' yester year.

And that's what a waed dae yon summers day
When I was a loon in the auld lang toun.

And when I went back when I was a man
The mem'ries clashed o'er events o' the past -
The Mill Dam is noo but a tiny trickle
The Teil Burn I can lowp ower wi' a stick
An' the auld harbour is an auld relic
And the buckies I widnae eat fir sure -
I dae think fir food poison there's a cure.

Cos, like yon butterfly on yon cabbage leaf
It disnae think, "I wish insteid of my
proboscis I 'd hae back my mandible"
No, it thinks o' adult things, though it may
Remember it’s past glories an hoo it ate
Thirty three leaves that grand summer's day -
But that's the past and noo's the day
So it flutters on to future fortunes
And leaves the past for pastures new
Cos, living in the past ignores the present
An' future fortunes presented anew.