STATUE OF SIR JOHN BETJEMAN (2007) ST PANCRAS STATION
MISS J HUNTER DUNN ~ MISS J HUNTER DUNN
Furnished and burnished by Aldershot sun
What strenuous singles ~ we played after tea
We in the Tournament ~ you against me !
Love-thirty love-forty ~ oh weakness of joy
The speed of a swallow ~ the grace of a boy
With carefullest carelessness ~ gaily you won
I am weak from your loveliness ~ Joan Hunter Dunn
Miss Joan Hunter Dunn ~ Miss Joan Hunter Dunn
How mad I am ~ sad I am ~ glad that you won
The warm-handled racket is back in its press
But my shock-headed victor ~ she loves me no less !
The scent of the conifers ~ sound of the bath
The view from the bedroom of moss-dappled path
I struggle with double-end evening tie
For we dance at the Golf Club my victor and I
By roads "not adopted" by woodlanded ways
She drove to the Club in the late summer haze
Into nine-o'clock Camberley ~ heavy with bells
And mushroomy ~ pinewoody ~ evergreen smells
Around us are Rovers and Austins afar
Above us the intimate roof of the car
And here on the right is the girl of my choice
The tilt of her nose and the chime of her voice
The scent of her wrap and the words never said
And the ominous ominous dancing ahead.
We sat in the car till twenty to one
and now I'm engaged to MISS JOAN HUNTER DUNN !
Thanks for reading ~ comments welcome ~ Love BRIAN XOX
John Betjeman (1906 - 1984) was knighted in 1972 and
became Poet Laureate. For me he is the finest British Poet
of the 20th Century and a Lover & Preserver of Victorian &
Edwardian Architecture ~ There is a statue to him (2007)
in the restored St Pancras Station in London. His poetry
is perfect in Rhyme & Rhythm and choice of words ! We can
learn much from John and one can never improve A John
Betjeman POEM ! The reason I have posted a JB this
morning is because I am giving a Lecture on John Betjeman
The Man & His Poetry to a Mens Group this evening !
JB loved tall athletic GIRLS like Joan and the poem strikes a blow
for Women's Lib ! She beat him at Tennis and she was driving
the Hillman Motor ! Note there are no FOREIGN CARS mentioned
in the Poem ~ ALL BRITISH ! JOAN HUNTER DUNN was an actual
person who worked with John in the Ministry of Information. John
was excluded fsor Military Service on Health Grounds ~ not
because was a POET ! Love to all BRIAN XOXOX
-
Author:
BRIANSODES (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: June 6th, 2018 02:11
- Category: Reflection
- Views: 22
- Users favorite of this poem: Laura🌻
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Comments7
John Betjeman is my favourite poet.
A few years ago I was given a challenge to write a poem with only twenty words with a literary inspiration, this is what I wrote:
At last I was married
To Miss Joan Hunter Dunn.
And a little while later
She bore us a son.
Check the spelling of Betjeman it is spelt in three different ways on your write, the one in the penultimate line is the correct spelling
THANKS ANDY ~ Pleased you liked it ~ have corrected spellings ~ OK ! Loved your ditty about being married to JHD and having a Son by her ~ awesome ! Please check my FUSION on fave day of the week ! BRIAN
Spelling now fine.
A fine write Brian. I wondered what he was doing at that station. I thought he had been waiting hours for a train, until I realised it was a statue! (??? lol).
Thanks STEVE ~ Pleased you liked my tribute to JB ! If you'd been to SPECSAVERS you'd have noticed he was 10ft tall ! Yours BRIAN
One of my favourite poets as well. Whren I read his work I can hear his voice - I have an anthology of his works on disc which I often put on in the studio. Just one comment to make - whilst he was excellent his work is nearly all in the same vein - I wish he had explored different form more often.
YES INDEED MIKE ~ Excellent poetry ~ wonderful to recite and hear recited. One of the critiques referred to it as DOGGEREL ~ when challenged he said he was referring to the STYLE of writing not the content. Like you he wanted John to branch out into Sonnets ~ Acrostics & Villanelles etc ! Thanks BRIAN
Oh yes - and I've walked past that statue many times - it's become an old friend.
Ah - - one of my all time favs of John Betjeman's talent for writing fun-poetry is this cleverly rhymed ode to a favoured young lady. I have often read this out loud just for the perfection of tone and metre. Thanks for sharing it Brian and all the best for your lecture this evening.
THANKS FAY ~ PLEASED YOU ENJOYED IT AND ARE AN AFFICIANADO OF BETJEMAN ! His poems are always well structured ~ with a consistent Rhyme Pattern and his choice of words are second to none ! I am just on my way out to the lecture ~ Yours BRIAN
Thanks again FAY ~ The lecture went well ! When I arrived (PROBUS) One of the Members introduced himself as a Member of the JB Appreciation Society ! However at the end he gave a vote of thanks and said it was very enjoyable and that he had learned a lot about JB. Another Member said he had been at OXFORD with JB's Son and His Father (JB) referred to his Son as The Thing ! Another recounted that he had heard a lecture by JB and that he was a fascination Speaker ~ BRIAN
Mio Caro Amico BRIAN,
Un bel regalo di poesia!
A beautiful gift of a write!
Loved it! Definitely another
poet’s name for my reading
list! That’s a great pic!
Thank you! Grazie!
~Laura~
CIAO LAURA ! Mia Bella Amica ~ Yes JB is a wonderful POET and all his poems ~ because of their Rhyme & Rhythm they are excellent to recite. Grazie Abbracci e Baci Mucho ~ BRIAN XOX Please check my FUSION on Days of the Week ~ B @@@
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