Sunday 12 November 2017

Eight Decades: Wroth Silver 2017

In 1938 it was a Friday:
The first edition of the Beano & first cricket on TV
Chamberlains famous meeting with Hitler;
“Peace for our time” said he:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone,
& a certain young colt aged four may have been there!

War now over, in 1947 it was a Tuesday:
Princess Elizabeth got married To Philip
India & Pakistan gained independence
The first nuclear reactor in Europe was called GLEEP:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
At Martinmas Wroth Silver was still paid.

In 1957 it was a Monday:
Macmillan became Prime Minister in Elizabeth II’s 5th year as queen
Norwich City Council was the first to install a computer
In the Sky at Night, Sputnik was seen:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
With hats & wellies on.

In 1967 it was a Saturday:
The Summer of Love was come & gone in the Golan Heights & Vietnam below
De Gaul vetoed our entry into the EU
& Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band are glad you enjoyed the show:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
One or two may have got mud on their flares.

In 1977 it was a Friday:
Queen Elizabeth’s silver jubilee
Abba, Starwars, Saturday Night Fever
& oh joy of joys the Sex Pistols swear on TV:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
In the icy, frosty morn.

In 1987 it was a Wednesday:
We were still reeling from the hurricane
Thatcher called a snap election & won a third term
Peugeot began building cars at Ryton:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
By torchlight, a list of villages was intoned.

In 1997 it was a Tuesday:
Tony Blair moved into Number Ten
The death of Princess Di
Welsh devolution & bird flu were the talk of the town
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
Despite the threat of rain.

In 2007 it was a Saturday, not Sunday:
That Atherstone Warehouse burned down
It was the wettest Summer ever
& the birthday of the Iphone:
While just down the road
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
But we can’t smoke our pipes indoors no more.

In 2017 it was a Saturday:
Hoods & brollies deployed against the wet
Plastic banknotes, terrorist attacks &… Trump
Brexit continues to divide us
While just down the road,
At dawn in a corner of an English field
A group of people gathered round a stone
Honour to David who bore witness to it all!


This is my fourth poem celebrating Wroth Silver as it's poet laureate. This year was special because it was David Eadon's 80th year attending the ceremony. (He is the gentleman in the cap in the foreground.) Many thanks & congratulations to him!

To find out more about Wroth Silver, go here: http://www.wrothsilver.org.uk/

To read my previous Wroth silver poems follow these links:
2014: Martinmas