Free verse collecting my thoughts after a trip to England |
BREXIT and Covid divided the nation Now they do not speak Of what makes them angry People just want to get on With the issues of the day in peace Ukraine is supported There is hostility to illegal migrants From the multicolored faces of England They forget their own journeys to this place The streets are full and the skylines growing The brands change but the salesmen adapt Projecting competence Without answering detailed questions Cryptic silence hides stories behind smiles So many runners on the street Or fat men on expensive bikes Extreme sports push boundaries As high achievers strive for higher But many seem stretched thin, almost breaking Concerned looks greet their latest triumphs The old are still here Though greatness bends with age I still see the decades shared The conversation comes easily As we move together through familiar places Young and old moving forward Through the stream of memory and vision The patterns and the shapes look familiar Some are young and positive Surging up mountains Looking to make their mark Lovers and loners rub shoulders In this noisy place But many are feeling older Wishing they were younger For the others that they love Some have yet to find their shape Still learning how to swim Then there are the aristocrats in fine houses Driving the more expensive cars Too fast in crowded streets There is faith here still But also exotic choices from India And harsher ones from Arabian sands The mix could be overwhelming For those who have no time for scripture This place is crowded and always moving This place is home and yet somehow foreign Today I see Roman soldiers marching past Redcoats and Bankers While Spitfires, fireworks, and party balloons fill the sky And all the nations of the world Are talking here at the same time And not all in words, I understand |