i was a teen when i first heard the colonel mention them,
the heelots, that they had got a stranglehold on me,
and filled with dread, i added, before i was even born.
but then the wall fell, and finally seeing life in technicolour
made his words sound like another old man’s grumble.
so i moved on. and only now, over three decades later,
when i ran into his diatribe by chance, did i decide to pay
attention once more. the thing is, i no longer feel at ease
with technicoloured landscape.
hidden pilcrow 