I have seen them in the distance
While passing on a train
The villages of England
I will not see again
A hazy spire a sturdy tower
A low and silent nave
Perhaps a lych-gate at the front
No doubt a tidy grave
A straggle of houses in a street
A cosy pub no doubt
A manor house somewhere close by
A powerful man’s redoubt
They used this image in the war
To rally English hearts
Defend this land we love so dear
The church the pub the ramparts
Only the wealthy live there now
Or else long pedigree
Inspector Barnaby of course
On Midsummer murder spree
The village in our hearts lives on
A place of cosy cheer
Where nothing happens very much
And there’s always a pint of beer
Brian Fahy
17 June 2021
Erris Poetry 