day 4 ~ your earliest memory

 

Let me just say right now I admit

that as a child I was a monster.

 

Even before I was out of nappies I was running away.

What child does this to their parents?

 

My poor mother was forever adding latches

to the doors to lock me in and had to constantly

have me in her sight as I would just take off.

 

The running joke saying in our family  is

"Where's Clare?"

 

This leads me to my earliest memory...

I was standing on the kitchen table in my grubby bare feet

being told very sternly by the local policeman

that I wasn't to run away again.

 

My latest adventure had been that I went to visit my dad

at work but I couldn't find him so I went to the beach.

I have no idea how long I had been gone or how I got

home but I do know that was definitely not my last escape.

 

Oh did I mention my father was a nurse at Long Bay Gaol?

Not really the place for a barefoot child to give her dad a surprise visit.