Kingfisher Poem by William Messent

With great surprise O king of Letcombe Brook
I find you fishing here in Wantage town.
A flash of blue and copper - let me look -
Iridescent green and arrowing down
Into bright bubbling waters, cool and clear,
Which amble down towards the Wessex Mill.
It brings such heartfelt joy to find you here;
Those regal hues bring light to this dark rill
Upon this cold and grey December day.
It was by chance along this route I came;
The local bard himself oft walked this way,
Close by the park which now recalls his name.
Perhaps he also glimpsed the darting blue,
Although no sonnet made, as now I do.