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Tuesday 21 September 2010

In Search Of Albion: A Poem by Pete Marshall




In Search of Albion

I wandered down a beaten track
That led to paths no longer seen
Where once we walked in years gone by
But covered now by fallen leaves

The ancient paths can still be found
Beneath the concrete thoroughfares
Where rowan grows by roadside cafes
And thrushes sing in Autumn air

The frogs will always find their home
Where once the streams ran wild and free
Beneath this land of brick and steel
Where people fought to own our green

The signs are there on roadside names
That tell of tales from long ago
But life is led at such a pace
The past has gone before we know

************

History is all around us but in our fast lives do we ever stop to notice? The UK is steeped in history, our street names, pub signs, the list is endless.....perhaps, just once, we should stop and pause for a few moments and wonder where we are and what it was once like....

*************

image courtesy creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/electropod/

70 comments:

anthonynorth said...

Those last two lines say it all. Where have you gone, Albion?

Timoteo said...

Wonderful reflective feel...gives me goosebumps.

jagannath rao said...

"The past has gone before we know"-Lovely lines

Steven Marty Grant said...

Really like this one! Message is spot on and the format and cadence pulled me right along. Very cool indeed!

Brian Miller said...

so easy to forget that which we have covered up in progress...tight close too pete. marvelous one shot!

Desert Rose said...

great reminder Pete, interesting lines and i like the idea..great one shot poet ;)

Teresa said...

It is so amazing to me how quickly things change and become history instead of memories.

Maureen said...

I enjoyed reading this, Pete. I've had wonderful visits to England, Scotland, and Wales, for just the reason you note. One day I hope to get to Ireland.

I like that you use a detail like "rowan" instead of a more common descriptor.

Caty said...

this was beautifully written. a good reminder to stop and pay attention to my surroundings and those that have been there before me.

dustus said...

Enjoyed the structure and subtle shifts in the rhyme, as well as the reminder of historical significance. Cheers, mate. Well done once again!

gautami tripathy said...

Reading this, I wanted to go back to the past era...

ode to un-punctuated verses

signed...bkm said...

love the lyrical quality of this poem...history it all around us...just changes its face...ever so often...bkm

Glynn said...

Good one, Pete. And I wonder if we ever can really find the past.

Anonymous said...

I love when streets and buildings still carry their original names - love to discover the hidden past... Your poem says it so much better, more lyrically...

KB said...

I often think I would liked to have lived in past times. Thanks for taking us back there.

Anonymous said...

As usual bang on write here Pete. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great write. Love and Light, Sender

moondustwriter said...

I love trying to pronounce some of those names and picture events that occurred there. Such a rich place of history

Pete you are such a great asset to One Shot and an treasure as a friend

Moonie

Steve Isaak said...

I like the whole "the present is not far removed from the ancient theme". Great first two stanzas.

Belinda Munoz + The Halfway Point said...

What a lovely poem honoring the past. Did it live long enough? Is it appreciated fully? How many lies do our history books contain?

In San Francisco, there are still a few red brick walls with faded advertisement signs. I like imagining the streets with cars and fashion from various eras. Oh,and the language; slang then and now...

tuberider said...

Very vool, came across as quite mystical to me.

Beachanny said...

When I first went to Britain, a man in Scotland asked me what it was like to grow up in a country with no history. I was somewhat taken aback as we have a little history here. But he explained (as surely he didn't need to as I'd come a long way after a long wait to see it) that in Britain real history had been made every 40 feet or so for thousands of years. Everywhere I went people went in to great detail about histories of birds, trees, forests, walks, bridges, walls, gates and battles..In Bath I asked what happened to the hands of the statues and the guide said, "those ruffians came in here with sticks and knocked them off". I was aghast. I said do you know who it was. "Sure we do," she said. "It was Cromwell's men." I nearly fell over. I know it's all changing as it always does but in Europe, I believe, there are many keepers of the stories and the histories and among the best telling those stories is you. As always beautifully written. Gay (@beachanny)

Shashidhar Sharma said...

The road covered with fallen leaves...
Very beautifully written Pete and liked the way you brought out the concrete jungle on top of your memory lane....
Beautiful...

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Connect with me on Twitter @VerseEveryDay

Caribbean Fool said...

Strong poem. You use a nice mix of sentimentality and historicity to evoke such a gentle image. There is a lyrical flow to the poem that makes reading it like listening to an old song from a long ago summer. Really enjoyed this, thanks for posting it.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

smart one,
lovely flow...

I hear your message here.

joanna said...

I wonder if in the future -- our concrete steel mess will be turned to rubble and become green again?

Loved this poem for the tone it sets, thoughtful reflective, also sorrowful, of what we have buried.

Nice one stop,

Joanny

Claudia said...

i totally agree with you - we should stop far more often. i'm doing sometimes guided tours in basel for visitors of our company - and i LOVE the history - and i love to tell them about the stories of the past and make them see history where everyday life is pulsating
great poem pete!

RiikaInfinityy said...

Wonderfully written =D It is time to stop and notice I guess, history are wonderful!=D~ I love them :3

Maude Lynn said...

I love those last two lines!

haisley said...

love the poem so much!!!!
here's mine/
http://scjcircleofthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/08/chase.html

Chris G. said...

"But life is led at such a pace
The past has gone before we know"

Where do you go? How is it we cannot even see our history?

Very reflective, very engaging. Great One Shot...and it reminds me of how badly I want to see the Isles one of these days.

Bubba said...

I often pass historical markers and wonder if I'll stop one day to learn the story of the place.

Nice One Shot, Pete!

P.S. - Albion is about 1 ½ hours west of Detroit.

Monkey Man said...

Great message and I love the pace.

John (@bookdreamer) said...

each lane a song, each road a story, when we but listen. Thanks for reading and commenting on my poem. Hope your week goes well.

william manson said...

brilliant poem Pete, we all have a past, some things are good, some bad, this was a reflective poem, and as always, well written :)

Carrie Van Horn said...

Pete this is beautiful...:-)

Anonymous said...

I agree with your sentiment. We (generally speaking) have let go of the richness our history has to offer. Our pursuit for technological advancement have overshadowed and smothered the voices of our forefathers. And yes these things improve quality of living. Yet there's still so much to learn from the past. A truly inspiring One Shot.

Btw, I looked up Albion and was delighted to see it is the archaic name for England/Great Britain. Which gives your piece even more sincere and profound meaning.

Anonymous said...

PS: Thank you for your comment. I truly appreciate it. I feel the same when I read your hand.

SuziCate said...

Your poetry is smooth adn flowing as always. LOVE your distinct style! This is lovely as always, but I must ask what is "rowan"?

Victoria (liv2write2day) said...

Beautifully written, Pete. I lived in Brittany for a while but never made it to the UK, to my regret. It's on my bucket list. My dad flew out of England in WWII. I never knew him as he was KIA when I was 3 months old.

Anonymous said...

Работаю с одним риэлтором из Миэля. При сдаче квартиры мы обязаны платить 50% им. Но здесь начились звонки от других риэлторов, коие хотят подписать с нами эксклюзивный договор. Начинают говорить, что у них есть заказчик и в случае в случае если они нам его приведут готовы мы с ними подписать этот договор. Всех я отправляю сад т.к. попахивает разводом. Интересно стало, зачем им со мной подписывать этот эксклюз.договор? Кто знает?

[url=http://pi7.ru/go/serial.php]Вообще любой сериал и особенно новинки я качаю тут [/url]

SY said...

see.. I've never been to the UK.. it's a dream of mine.. but I can imagine that it is a place of great history and culture

ninotaziz said...

Albion calls...

Lovely nostalgic piece to Old World England, Pete. And all that has come to pass...

Suz said...

The poet doing his job

bravo

alex said...

great poem
no one wants to forget the past even me
):)(:(

PattiKen said...

I love this, Pete. It instantly remnded me of the old Janis Joplin song, Big Yellow Taxi: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

When I was in the UK, I could feel the history all around me. Sometimes, I even thought I could hear it.

HisFireFly said...

I agree that modern life is way too fast.. perhaps why I opted out 10 years ago and moved to the rural Canadian prairies where the only urgency is getting seeds in the ground in the Spring and the crop harvested in the Fall

Anonymous said...

A stately poem. The end is pitch perfect.

TALON said...

Pete, I apologize for being so tardy. I had modem problems that took ages to get sorted out. It's always freaky when you can't get on-line - we just take it for granted, I guess...much like we do the history that does abound around us. This poem was a beautiful reminder to really pay attention to the places we visit every single day. Thank you for that!

Marshy said...

Hi anthony...indeed...where has it all gone wrong

thanks timoteo...i think its the same in so many countries today, life has changed so much and covered up our past at an alarming rate

cheers jagannath..thanks for visiting

Marshy said...

thanks steven...and thanks for always being a great support

hi bri...glad you appreciated it partner!!!

cheers desert rose...thanks for commenting

Marshy said...

hi teressa..that is so, so true..thanks for the comment

cheers maureen...yeah i had to drop rowan in..it gave it an almost druidic feel

you are so right caty..even if you have a drink at the pub..look at the pub sign and it will give you a history lesson

Marshy said...

thanks adam...and have a safe trip..enjoy yourself

cheers guatami...maybe we all could do with doing that sometime just to shake up our senses a bit...

cheers BKM...thanks for the comment and you are so right

Marshy said...

thanks glynn...i think it will also be romanticised...and never really known

hi gospelwriter...they are a great marker to times of old...as i mentioned earlier pub signs place names and so forth...cheers pete

Marshy said...

cheers kb...wouldnt that be wonderful to have the chance to walk back in time...wow

thanks senderup..and as usual thanks for a great supportive comment

oh moonies...you so make me blush..cheers pete

Marshy said...

cheers kb...wouldnt that be wonderful to have the chance to walk back in time...wow

thanks senderup..and as usual thanks for a great supportive comment

oh moonies...you so make me blush..cheers pete

Marshy said...

cheers steve..thats the point, scrape away the wallpaper and the past is there to be seen

thanks belinda...you are so spot on about the lies..we do over romanticise things a bit dont we

Marshy said...

thanks tuberider...certain words used were key to that feel

hi ya beachanny...oh how i loved your comment...and yes i can so see that happening....cheers for that pete

cheers shashi...and that is so true...concrete poured on the past as we build build build

Marshy said...

hi caribbean...many thanks for that wonderful comment

exactly joanny..what have we buried..there is so much still there waiting to be discovered

hi claudia...thats exactly the point..learn about whats around you..be proud and see more into it than just concrete

Marshy said...

thanks ...i like wonderfully written..cheers RiikaInfinityy

cheers mama...yes a poignant memory

thanks haisley

hi chris...would offer to put you up..but no room in the house with my hoards!! LOL

Marshy said...

hi eric...but not the true albion...thanks for the comment

cheers monkey man

you are so right john..each step has a story to tell..if only we open our ears and eyes to all thats gone before

Marshy said...

cheers william..seem to be reflecting a lot these days

thanks carrie..thats a nice thing to say

hi Collective Epiphanies not only was that a spot on comment..i am glad it inspired you to look up the word albion..yes an old name for these lands

Marshy said...

hi suzicate..thanks for the comment and what is rowan..a magical shrub/tree that druids use to make their staffs with...or is even used for dowsing..cheers pete

hi victoria...oh thanks for sharing that comment..i am so sorry..with regard to brittany..you were as good as much here...brittany is so called as little briton...they are more british than the british now...its where the britons fled to escape the romans...cheers pete

Marshy said...

thanks sy..and when you do there is so much to enjoy

thanks ninotaziz..well said

cheers suz...i like that

thanks alex....

Marshy said...

cheers pattiken...yes i know the song...very true

hisfirefly..that sounds just devine...you are so blessed and i dont blame you...if only that were possible over here

cheers poemblaze..thanks for the comment..stately is a good word to use

Marshy said...

hi talon...you are tardy i am only half way through...i loved the way you commented with the modem and the problems we experience today whilst overlooking the past and whats gone before...cheers pete

Wild Rose said...

I love going back to history and it's allures. Great oneshot and sorry i have been busy with work but couldn't miss stopping by yours. See you around Pete, don't make me come hunting :)

CM said...

I feel like I was actually walking those "paths no longer seen." Wonderful write!

This reminded me of times I've hiked deep in the woods and found old remnants. Always intriguing, quite the mystery.

Sandra Heska King said...

I really love this poem. Sadly, sometimes we don't slow down enough to even notice the signs.

haisley said...

Hi!!! I'm too busy... I miss reading.... Great one Pete!!!!!

Anonymous said...

a very beautiful poem pete.

trisha
http://mydomainpvt.wordpress.com