Long Eton Poems

RED

One hundred years ago in Pollockshaws
A man was laid to rest,
From humble beginnings to a martyr
They buried Scotland’s best.

A man who stood for the people
A man unshaken and proud,
Till the imperialist and capitalist murderers
 Connived...

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We played on all weather turf which was mud and a few sods of grass

Dribbled like Pele and Eusebio in old boot for that one killer pass

From straight after school until there was not one...

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The tender, torpid sun floats bored and heavy over vines
And casts his gentle, crimson rays upon the Apennines. 
Above the calm and golden hill, Agrippa’s villa stands:
A marble mansion reigning firm atop the ripened lands....

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Return, my love! Let’s flee the gates to leave our scornful town, 
And roam outside in deepest woods where Nature wears her crown!
Beside the river stands unmoved, as many years ago, 
The ruined castle’s narrow...

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[Continued from Part 2]

“Despite all I’ve done for country, for my people and for man,
I was cursed to see the epoch when the great decay began
And to know that, from now onwards, the great marvels...

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[Continued from Part 1]

“And the efforts of the Senate to extinguish all this fury
Were frustrated by convictions that their god would promptly hurry
To reward and praise the burning of the books in Caesar’s hall:
Pliny, Tacitus...

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He made no move at all 
As the alarm clock went off. 
But ten minutes later, 
It was obvious he was awake. 
He lifted himself out of bed 
And went towards the bathroom.
He shaved himself...

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As the sun fades o’er the water and birds chatter in the grove,
Two old, wrinkled, weary thinkers wander slowly by the cove.
Waves advancing and receding from the edges of the sea
Bring a bittersweet reminder of...

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Old servile sleep descends on heavy wings
From laden summits wrapped in icy clouds 
When, glassy-eyed, the owl cold midnight rings
And snowy mist the starry light enshrouds. 

Atop the ancient firs, the birds lie still
And cling...

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The god of greed, of power and of haste
Has wrought in silence all the joy of Love
From hearts of men and, in his anger, placed
His shield of gold upon the throne above.

Far down below, among...

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Perplexed by riddles and betrayed by Time,
The lonely spirit travels far adrift
On the horizon’s dim and distant line,
In search of other souls, both strong and swift.

From the eternal temple of the gods
Come roiling forth three...

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I’m all out for In, Boys, I’m all out for In
I’ll not consign dear Europe to the bonfire or the bin
We’ve fought too many flippin’ wars to call this thing a day
And isn’t such division...

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What the Butler Heard
Extract from a memoir

Lord Illustrious Penge of Lampwicker Hall,
Welcomed local Toffs, to his Name-Dropper ball.
Noses upturned with a touch of conceit,
Hob-Knobbing with gentry and gentleman elite.
Colonel recalled, his luncheon with Churchill,
Discussing backbenchers...

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What vile infusion calls me to the brink
Of ruthless fear and callous doubt sown deep
Within my heart, where tides of malice bring
To mind deep wells whence cheerlessness I seep?
I lie, forgotten by the vim of...

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Jam roly poly, treacle sponge
And sticky toffee pudding head the top of my list
But apple pie, rhubarb crumble
Or a decent cheesecake are hard to resist

Banana splits, eclairs or brownies
Dumplings, nougat, cheese board or mousse
Crème brûlée....

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I make haste to the earth 
And anoint its rebirth
When my mother, the cloud, is above, 
And then mildly caress 
The irradiant dress
Of the hills with immaculate love. 

I descend upon leas 
And respond to...

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An orphaned paradise where wounded feet
Must hymn the breath which gave it life and light
Despairs for harmonies which subtly meet
In whirlpools where bright genii wake to fight. 

Asleep along the foaming shore there lie
Two citadels...

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O, solemn harmony of lonesome waves
Whose power tolls the bell of dreams!
Your passioned voice of rising freedom braves
All force whose will unfolds resentful streams!

The longing for past lives—though fading—may, 
Below the burning sky, adopt a...

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The old oak felled by man is no different from me,
Whose fond dreams were shot down, carried off to the sea. 
By the river, this tree had enduringly stood
‘Til the villager maimed it for need...

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There is nothing left to say
Once the wind has blown away
All the leaves from their high nest
To its cradle in the west, 
Where the hills and meadows were
Filled with plaintive dulcimer
Notes descending from the cot
Of...

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Low on the mountainside, I saw a limpid stream of gold.
His subtle whisper carried him along the gorge,
Where firs and pines and maples, in the crevice, forge
Their nest of eagles sheltered by the rocky mould....

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The sleep of reason quells my fears away
From doubt, and lifts my mind upon the wings
Of carelessness, well sheltered on my way
To places where no man or ghost may sing,
    Where all...

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The lonely lighthouse beamed upon by rays of moonlight stands
Above the restless sea, whose vapors spill upon the sands. 
The nymphs of water courses rise to taste the soothing night,
Whose drowsy watch invites the stars...

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Jolly voting weather 
We are all europhiles
We’re very clever 
And lie to you all the while
You fell for our promise especially the CAST IRON trick
We’re all from Eton, and you lot are all too thick.

If...

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Thick web of silence, ether which retains
My distant days’ dim trace of tears on sand!
You are the amphora whose dark wine pains
My drowsy brain with thoughts forever banned.
Deceitful lord of long ago and old
 ...

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