Just 22 miles of water
‘To understand all
is to forgive all ‘ –
that’s one French saying
that doesn’t seem to have
crossed the few miles of
‘The English Channel’, or
the Straits of Dover or
‘The Sleeve’ or the
‘Passage of Calais’ or
however the French translates –
with the Normans; so
perhaps they left it behind
at the Conquest along with
Armagnac and crepes and
their blonde mistresses
and never went back for it
like I wonder if that blunt
English saying,
‘Those who can, do;
those who can’t, teach; and
those who can’t teach,
become critics…’
ever made it across La Manche
to that civilised nation where
critics, teachers, and the mind
are held in such respect; but
suppose we equate football
and poetry here:
football supporters know their
playing days are over, if
they ever happened anyway;
they aren’t equipped to teach
except their sons, for some
happy time; and so they
hold to their precious love of
the beautiful game
by criticising the team,
the manager, and especially
the ref. Shoot the ref. So
maybe it’s because
you, and you know who you are,
felt you couldn’t be
the great poet which you so wanted
to be, and found you
couldn’t teach, that
because you truly, deeply
[...] Read more
poem by Michael Shepherd
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
