Roman Road

By harveyjoseph

Mon, 27 May 2013
  • 568 reads
2 comments
 

My great grandfather
Was the son of a tennant farmer
Until one day George Frederic Watts
Took him by the hand and said:
"Some day you'll mould my death mask Mr Wren"
And then he lead him down that Roman Road
And now I'm heading down that Roman Road again

To? I don't know where.
Since, I don't know when
I'll be heading down this Roman Road again

Won't you meet me by the mortuary chapel
Where the death angels linger and the sunlight dapples,
Through these Irish Yews and you sat on Huxley's grave
Don't this world seem so very new with you
Don't this world seem so very brave
When I'm heading down this Roman Road again

To? I don't know where.
Since, I don't know when
I'll be heading down this Roman Road again

And they are dogging beneath these ancient trees
Where once walked the weary soles of workhouse refugees
And the articulated lorries light up you and me
As different pilgrims pass the way
I don't feel like Orpheus but you sure look like Eurydice and we're heading down this Roman Road again

To I don't know where
Since I don't know when
I'll be heading down this Roman Road
With Madeline

Certificate 18
Poem
Unclassified

Comments

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Interesting. It works not knowing where the Roman Road is and of course the Romans got to and sucessfully colonised many places. Taunton in Somerset has a council estate the 'Roman Road Estate' just beyond the old town. That's where my thoughts turned when reading your poem       Elsie

Submitted by harveyjoseph on

Glad you found it interesting. It relates to a stretch of the A31 from Surrey going into Hampshire, which runs along a hillside known as the Hog's Back, part of the pilgrim's way, where my Mum's family originate from.Thomas Hardy wrote  famous poem called Roman Road which it was partly inspired by, sort of.