London (September 2018) Poem by Madathil Rajendran Nair
London (September 2018)
Head lost in the clouds of Victorian grandeur,
Abbey inscriptions of fame, genius and valor,
euphoric over Brexit, trembling yet
and ducking from uncertain economic fall-outs,
shivering on the Thames bridges of time,
resisting temptations of modernity,
adamant on nascent architectural originality,
etched out against an unsetting sun,
she clings to the past, as guards change
at Buckingham in colorful parades,
watched by cheering crowds,
reminiscent of Trafalgar on X-Mas eve -
a city waxed out in indelible memory
truly in Tussauds style.
May London the tourists beckon
arching tall over history again.
Brexit, , , , The British exit from the European Union, is the impending withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. well, if the American colonies could 'withdraw' from British rule in the late 1700s, albeit with a protracted war: The American Revolution, i guess U.K. can withdraw from E.U., hopefully peacefully! (cont.)
(cont.) we made a report to a uniformed officer but never heard from the Queen. She was probably busyon her thrown. you know how constipation can affect the elderly! you don't! ! ? bri :)
(cont.) 3 - thanks for the Browning quote. :) 4 - oh, we saw the 'changing of the guards', almost from its start i believe, walking past a line of mounted, guards [GOING away FROM the Palace) on our way (a little late) TO the Palace. Then some one of the tourist (in a very large crowd) apparently got hurt, and confusion and crowd-control ensued, resulting in a 'plainclothesman' touching my wife in a manner not necessary. (cont.)
in response to your responses to my comments! ! :) :) 1- the die is cast aka Alea iacta est; forebodings re Brexit be damned! ! ! 2 - yes, i know about the 'wax museum(s) '; we walked by the door to the one in London town. i think there is a Tussauds museum in California. the sculpture is coming to take my measurements on Monday. (cont.)
(cont.) when i [REALLY] visited the area outside of Buckingham Palace, whose open gate was guarded by at least one soldier with an automatic slung across his chest, i thought the crowd was cheering for me [NOT really]. maybe Kelly meant to enjoy FUTURE travels? bri :)
Change of guards at Buckingham Palace is a crowded ceremonial parade, which you perhaps missed, Bri. Please visit London again.
(cont.) Find out about the 3300 people buried and others commemorated at Westminster Abbey, many of them among the most significant in the nation's history. or did you mean: the Abbey Road Crossing in London, also known as the Beatles Crosswalk? ? (cont.)
These lines from Robert Browning's The Last Ride Together were uppermost in my mind. Sure, I meant the Westminster, Bri. Ten lines, a statesman’s life in each! The flag stuck on a heap of bones, A soldier’s doing! what atones? They scratch his name on the Abbey-stones. My riding is better, by their leave.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/5/2024 3:49:36 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Enjoy your travels, my friend.
Thank you, Kelly. I am back and just reminiscing.