It's been suggested that this doesn't scan towards the end ... but it definitely does when I read it aloud. I did suggest that the person was reading it wrong ... and that's the theory I'm sticking to because I'm ever so pleased with this! You should know I'm from Leicester so if you detect any bias then that is why.
I am the last Plantagenet,
The last King to lose his crown
On the battlefield; alas
At Bosworth they took me down.
I never was a hunchback,
Nor had a withered arm,
These were but vicious rumours
Spread about to do me harm.
I fought for my crown with valour,
I fought with God given grace,
But still they struck me down,
And laughed right in my face.
They dragged me back to Leicester,
And purposef'lly ignored
That my head took quite a pounding
As it crossed the river Soar!
My crown was lost to Tudor,
The pretender to my throne.
I was destined to be buried
In this city, on my own.
Interred I was at Greyfriars,
In a place of no fair sight,
But the Friars paid me homage
And in God's eyes it was right.
The city grew around me
And while my place was soon forgot
The people me remembered,
Thrown in the river I was not.
They named their roads and taverns,
And built a statue, in memory,
And in their quiet cathedral
Placed a stone in remembrance of me.
And now they have rediscovered
My final resting place;
They came with picks and shovels
To dig beneath a parking space.
My mortal remains uncovered
Sadly without the feet,
And the secrets of my body known
Though it be incomplete.
They may have found my body
But my mind remains to me
A secret I shall keep
For all eternity.
I am to be reburied
In this city of many races,
Where all I see is tolerance
And welcoming embraces.
I am the last Plantagenet,
And sometimes much maligned;
But may I rest in peace forever
In Leicester's cathedral church enshrined.
YOU ARE READING
My Poetry
PoetryI used to write songs when I was at school but never really managed to get past the first verse and chorus. Giving the song writing up as a bad job...this is where I shall leave my very occasional attempts at poetry. Please don't feel obliged to r...
