THIS IS 'ULL (Upton Street)

The firm leatherette feel of well rolled tarmac
and it’s once warmed smell,
and the blackened knees and hands
of interaction
are familiar prints in my galleried mind.
A grey playmate;
a giver of second-hand chewy
and ciggie ends,
uniquely flavoured
but eagerly sought for secondary use
or swops.

Our street,
our Hull street
was our street,
not for Courtney street's gang,
not Mucky Buckies
nor Montrose's
it was our Upton Street,
a dead end street
of clean houses
of clean people
in clean beds
and mucky, happy kids.

Hull was a small place
till I was 11 but I never knew it,
our world was our street,
our wood yard at the dead end
our "farreey" across the drain
where trains and girls could be explored
in equal measure,
ducking down in the long grass
if anyone came.

I didn't know that I lived in a city called Hull,
but I knew my friends,
their parents and Johnny Greensides
who owned the only car.
and the original Mitchell brothers
on their rocker bikes,
hero’s in leather and white scarves.

I was happy in Hull.
I am again happy in Hull.
Even the immigrants are happy in Hull
’cos we are Hull,
we are Kingston Upon Hull
and proud,
proud to know most people;
southerners and media,
even Yorkshire people
don't really know us well,
'cos 'ull is our secret,
a hoard of decent friends.

For reads who may have lived in Upton Street, off Dansom Lane, I have found the following Facebook entries.

One,  Two,  Three

Personal comment - someone came across this poem and made the following comment on Facebook

From  Linda Franks (nee Wildbore) - I lived down Upton Street with the Greensides, the Hewitt's and the Hairsine's . We lived down Rosedale Avenue, where the backyard backed onto a passage and then onto the woodyard. Great times there, playing double ball on the house walls and hanging on to the boot of a car, with our skates on,  for free rides. The Mainprises, the Mitchells and the Moores lived down Primrose Terrace, the Moore's being the last house down there next to the Church in the next street (Courtney Street). Brings back memories.

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