In The Poetry

The Carrion Crow

A carrion crow sat on an oak
And watched where the line of battle broke.

A carrion crow sat on an ash -
He hears the spears’ and shields’ clash.

A carrion crow sat on a pine:
The long-bows are bent, the swift arrows whine.

A carrion crow sat on an elm:
The broad sword batters the bright-plumed helm.

A carrion [...]

The Mulberry Tree

‘Good neighbour Michael Drayton, and you, Old Ben
Stepped up from London to our Warwickshire -
The air is balmy, so we’ll drink tonight
under my mulberry tree, and hear the chimes.’

But English April’s treacherous. Good ale and wine,
However generous they boast themselves,
Lower the temperature. The lurking microbe
Is everywhere, and waiting for its chance.

Death’s always bitter [...]

Apart from birds I’ve written quite a lot of poems about insects and similar creatures.

Song of the Death-Watch Beetle

Here come I, the death-watch beetle
Chewing away at the great catherdral;

Gnawing the mediaeval beams
And the magnificent carved rood screen

Gorging on gospels and epistles
From the illuminated missals;

As once I ate the odes of Sappho
And the histories of Manetho,

The [...]

‘Inscription for a Scented Garden for the Blind’ – this inscription was commissioned and is in fact on a stone in the grounds of Lauderdale House in London.

Inscription for a Scented Garden for the Blind

Wayfarer, pause. Although you may not see,
Earth’s bright children, herbs and flowers, are here:
It is their small essential souls that greet [...]

The Mulberry Tree

‘Good neighbour Michael Drayton, and you, Old Ben
Stepped up from London to our Warwickshire -
The air is balmy, so we’ll drink tonight
under my mulberry tree, and hear the chimes.’

But English April’s treacherous. Good ale and wine,
However generous they boast themselves,
Lower the temperature. The lurking microbe
Is everywhere, and waiting for its chance.

Death’s always bitter [...]

Purkis

The red king lay in the black grove:
The red blood dribbled on moss and beech-mast.

With reversed horseshoes, Tyrrel has gone
Across the ford, scuds on the tossing channel.

Call the birds to their dinner. ‘Not I,’ said the hoarse crow.
‘Not I,’ whistled the red kite
‘Will peck from their sockets those glazing eyes.’

Who will give him to his [...]

Apart from birds I’ve written quite a lot of poems about insects and similar creatures.

Song of the Death-Watch Beetle

Here come I, the death-watch beetle
Chewing away at the great catherdral;

Gnawing the mediaeval beams
And the magnificent carved rood screen

Gorging on gospels and epistles
From the illuminated missals;

As once I ate the odes of Sappho
And the histories of Manetho,

The [...]

The Carrion Crow

A carrion crow sat on an oak
And watched where the line of battle broke.

A carrion crow sat on an ash -
He hears the spears’ and shields’ clash.

A carrion crow sat on a pine:
The long-bows are bent, the swift arrows whine.

A carrion crow sat on an elm:
The broad sword batters the bright-plumed helm.

A carrion [...]

‘The Poet of Bray’ – I should like to point out that this parody is not autobiographical. It was written round about 1950.

The Poet of Bray

Back in the dear old thirties’ days
When politics was passion
A harmless left-wing bard was I
And so I grew in fashion:
Although I never really joined
The Party of the Masses
I was most [...]