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Poetry Magnum Opus

Lord Nelson & A Modern Medium


Frank E Gibbard

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Frank E Gibbard

If the spirit of Horatio Nelson inhabited that hard to see image
of an attribution of him from a grateful nation atop its column.
The icon pigeon smeared statue in Trafalgar Square, imagine
a ghostly conversation from the plinth above tourists' scrums.
Long dead Admiral Nelson spoke to loyal Thomas Hardy
with concrete croak: “You see better than I, with my one
eye, Thomas. Tell me pray what do they with such devices,
the people below pointing up at me?” Guano shards fell
from his calcified lips towards the crowd. “Damned birds
defectating on me for ever, now this horde.” “My Lord,” said
Hardy, “It is, I read, called a selfie picture made of themselves
with your monument. It is a supremely selfish society: the mobs’
modern way, in this newly world. Self before duty and all else."
His stony eyes froze to its sculted pose looking forward to the
square scape, one arm holding a sword. Nelson slipped invisibly away.
He was at peace that his city haunt was over, returned to the
usual jaunt in fields of clover, with his lover Lady Hamilton. Happy
as ever was, given a ghost of a chance, to do his duty.

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Nice one Frank :smile: Oh the times, the times. To be a pigeon (reincarnate) and pick your target in these "Self before duty and all else" times. Thanks for the smiles,Geoff

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Frank E Gibbard

Nice one Frank :smile: Oh the times, the times. To be a pigeon (reincarnate) and pick your target in these "Self before duty and all else" times. Thanks for the smiles,Geoff

Thanks our Geoff. Like your aside re the flying rats. A shame for one of our nice spots these pests get encouraged by the tourists and their misapplied generosity feeding them. Do y'remember ken Livingstone famed newt lover trying to eradicate them (the birds that is, not the tourists) with hawks? Some pacifist eh? Frank

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I recall a huge local steelworks trying to eradicate countless numbers of them from inside it's buildings, by employing airgun enthusiasts to shoot them down and bag them up for disposal; attempts at poisoning and netting had failed miserably. The enthusiasts were let loose like kids in a sweet shop: but overwhelmed by the enormity of their task, soon gave it up.

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“Damned birds defectating on me for ever, now this horde.”

 

Yes, if stones could talk. Insightful, using horde and not crowd. I read once where someone said a group of historians should be called a "malice". :)

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Frank E Gibbard

“Damned birds defectating on me for ever, now this horde.”

 

Yes, if stones could talk. Insightful, using horde and not crowd. I read once where someone said a group of historians should be called a "malice". :)

Thanks marti for the positive, you've got me thinking now about collective nouns with your malice, now erm I wonder about a bunch of vicars, I'll report back on any ideas, no offence would be taken I trust about that speculation. Frank

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