In old film on parade in funny clothes
you think we dressed up for you?
so you could say, Takes me back.
The old days. No!
It was just us being who we were.
That’s how you should’ve seen us.

Instead, we look poor and grimy –
old bricks in old walls, costumes and junk.
Not how it seemed to us, in the moment,
in the skin of the present
with its random shout,
You should’ve seen us!

You should’ve seen us, oh
you should’ve seen us, a scream
that Saturday, showing our ankles.
Not to you. We did it for ourselves!
In a fit, lifting voluminous skirts.
Or maybe… just a little bit for you.

You like us, don’t you, care a bit?
We have to be careful… how do we know
how many years we’ll be on show?
Your future’s future could be watching.
Eating a cake. Alone. In a procession.
Always in processions. Or on a beach,

under some patch of sky. Young in our skin,
saying hello, goodbye.
You should’ve seen us.
What if you’d never seen us?
How I do wish you’d seen us!
You saw us. You did. Didn`t you?