Apples from Shinar: A Book of Poems

THE AIRMAN WHO FLEW OVER

THE AIRMAN WHO FLEW OVER SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND A nation of hayricks spotting the green solace Of grass, And thrones of thatch ruling a yellow kingdom Of barley. In the green lands, the white nation of sheep. And the woodlands, Red, the delicate tribes of roebuck, doe And fawn. A senate of steeples guarding the slaty and gabled Shires, While aloof the elder houses hold a secret Sceptre. To the north, a wall touching two stone-grey reaches Of water; A circle of stones; then to the south a chalk-white Stallion. To the north, the wireless towers upon the cliff. Southward The powerhouse, and monstrous constellations Of cities. To the north, the pilgrims along the holy roads To Walsingham, And southward, the road to Shottery, shining With daisies. [18] Over the castle of Warwick frightened birds Are fleeing, And on the bridge, faces upturned to a roaring Falcon. [19 ] ...