Winter 2007 Poetry Competition Second Prize

The Bookends

by Jean Jones

jeantatton@yahoo.co.uk

It’s a varied job this -

It was Gibbon’s History of Rome

I was up against recently,

I had to make a stand there, I can tell you

And felt very alone

As I faced the might of the Empire.

Now I’m snuggling up to Lady Chatterley

“A woman’s beauty is like a frail bird,”

Oops! That’s sitting next to Yeats

Last week - must be careful what I say.

I’m the other half, I tend to look the other way,

My tastes are a little different, I’m more inclined to…

Or perhaps I should say, inclined towards me

Are Harrison Ford and Mr D’arcy

And if I get bored and want something new,

There are musicians, writers and artists,

It’s like Paris in the Latin Quarter .

Some just tower above the others

I have to look up to Shakespeare and Chaucer.

It’s a strange old world, but we enjoy it,

Rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous,

Supporting the small and weak when we can,

We’re a storehouse of knowledge -

Almost every subject is covered between us.

©2007 Jean Jones

Jean would love to hear what you think of her poem - email her now

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