Roger Bannister Poem by Adrian Flett

(the champion First sub-four-minute miler, May 1954.)

To most a sub four-minute mile was a definite no,
to Roger B, a target to go below.
To walk a sixteen-minute mile makes me
four times slower that Roger B.
Thanks to Household and the Brothers Wright
whose perseverance led man to powered flight,
and trips to the moon and maybe Mars;
they paved the way to the stars.
While others dithered on the moral issue,
Chris Barnard knew the heart's just muscle and tissue,
and once he had the courage to jump
they all began to replace man's pump.
So I'm quietly confident now that Roger B
is merely four times quicker than me.