A Tribute to Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984)

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The thickening fog will not be found in Highgate or on Kensal Green.
The Trolley Buses ply no more in Wealdstone -theyre no longer seen.
But Sailors in their graves lie still in Harrow Churchyard on the Hill.

The ghost of a top Civil Servant without alas his first class brains
Haunts the corner where the bypass comes to Egham out of Staines
But still, in spite of his sad plight, the road hogs cannot see the light.

The Subaltern was pining for the charming Miss Jane Hunter Dunne.
Wooed and won her in the car park as they watched the setting sun
They loved each other on that day Now she is in the family way.

I’m glad that friendly bombs missed Slough- although it is no beauty spot.
But still a bustling, thriving place where members of the human race
Are born and live and work and die beneath a peaceful Berkshire sky.