Lines On Stained Marble



(At Brixham, Devon, a statue in grey
 Sicilian marble by T. & W. Wills
 commemorates William Prince of
 Orange’s landing on Nov 5th 1688.)

Poor William!! How infra dig!
You’re looking rather less than regal
Since what surmounts your sculptured wig
Is hardly some heraldic eagle.

Not yet a harbour seagull’s perch,
When James the Second undermined it
You landed here to save the Church,
And much as well that hid behind it.

Job done, you face our phones and tweets
Unconscious of your feathered topping,
Which wails, takes off, but first excretes
All over you, a right royal dropping.

Jerome Betts

If you have any comments on this poem, Jerome Betts would be pleased to hear from you.