Dear MatildaRose – Welcome to Writing.com. I am glad you are a part of this amazing writing community now. I enjoyed reading "The past is not so far away."  and I am glad to offer a few of the thoughts I had while reading your poem.
 
  FIRST IMPRESSION
 
What to do on a rainy afternoon? Think of the past. That’s a good thing. Many wonderful memories in our past. But wait! How far back does our memory go? Why does our memory include such mystifying events which we did not live? Well maybe its true - those moments are not that far away.
 
  THEME
 
It is a fortunate moment that can find beauty and charm in an age gone by. When the age gone by is still represented in the old farm houses, and cobble stoned walk ways how much more glorious is the journey into what once was.
 
  STRUCTURE
 
The poem is written with a mixed meter rhyming the second and fourth lines of each stanza. There is a general rhyming scheme and each line has an open mixed beat sequence. The structure of each verse is unique and appealing in tone and texture.
 
  MY FAVORITE MOMENT
 
There is much to reflect on in your writing and my favorite moment was:

We should not ignore the cobbles as we walk
Stained with rain from a hundred years prior
And cracks from the pressure of chimney sweepers plunder
And factory workers step, grass lands besides, houseless from fire

Almost like being on a tour, the imagination is asked to hold onto specific images that help the soul to feel the historical significance of what is experienced right now. I love stepping into those scenes where I can look past what the artist thought was important to see what actually was happening for every strata of society. A lot of historical readings were brought to mind by this scene. A bit of Middlemarch maybe.
 
 
  SUGGESTIONS

All in all I enjoyed what you have created. There was one tough line for me though:
Love and lust behind strategic advancements in Tudor Britain First I would have to pronounce Britain as Bri - Tane - for it to rhyme with the word vain. While this could work as an “eye-rhyme” I think some of the words in the line need to be softened or shortened just so that Tudor Britain doesn’t seem so isolated at the end of the sentence. For me Tudor Britain is such a huge image it almost has to begin or end the verse rather than punctuate a line. Just a thought.
 
  IN SUMMARY

"The past is not so far away."  gives our memory something to do on a rainy afternoon, while the author writes, our heart mind and soul are offered some moments of historical wandering. It is a wonderful journey that is just for the joy of the journey. Write On!
 
I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.
 
Kind Regards,

♫~ Kenword~♫
 

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