Regular readers of this blog (there are some, I know) will know that between November 2021 and September 2022 I had a real problem ending the three volumes of my ‘English Strain’ project of (mainly) transposed sonnets, or rather I had problems finding traditional sonnets to help me finish off Boris Johnson, after the hubris of Brexit and the deadly incompetence of the Coronavirus pandemic, but various poems suggested themselves as models. Various 'last poems' gave way to the next 'last poem'. But eventually I stopped, and weaned myself from the method. (I'm cured now, and writing, and reading, other things.)
I said goodbye to Bo(ris Johnson), once through the Medium of Jake Thackray’s masterpiece. That’s here: Pages: Goodbye to Bo through the Medium of Jake Thackray’s masterpiece (not a book review) (robertsheppard.blogspot.com)
But before that I’d said goodbye to Bo(ris), here, with a poem:
https://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2022/08/final-extra-last-poem-of-english-strain.html
Then finally, in September 2022 the End of the Festival of Mourning for our late Empress of Bressex of ‘happy memory’, sent me back to the first poem of British Standards, my ‘England in 2019’ (unpublished so far), and its model, Shelley’s well-known ‘England in 1819’. I produced ‘After Sheppàrd After Shelley: England in 2022’. I posted it briefly (and temporarily) and wrote about its writing and its ceremonial occasion with some appropriate images of the tasteful ‘cargo-cult carvings’ that the peasantry produced for its happy memories. There are lots of links to my earlier parts of the project from this blogpost.
It's here: Pages: Robert Sheppard: A final final poem for British Standards! It’s worth a look; you can find a copy of Shelley’s poem, but not mine, until today!! As I wrote at the time: ‘If you think that the poem is too weird, here are some of the contributory images, from the “Grieve Watch” Twitter feed. (Elsewhere you will find videos of the rollerblader and read about people being arrested for hoisting up blank sheets of paper!)’.
Some of you will doubtless be pleased to hear that I have not written another last last last poem for the sequence, occasioned by the Coronation of King Charles III. No, but the poem I wrote last year appears today on International Times, a thoroughly appropriate destination for this poem, which may be read here:
After Sheppàrd After Shelley: England in 2022 | IT (internationaltimes.it)
In case you think I’m amiss in not celebrating the current royal and constitutional jollities, here is a photograph to remind us all of the new
monarch’s endless capacity for judicious friendship. (Captions on a postcard
to Hell, please.) Ypou'll excuse me, if I turn ro making some notes while watching today's ceremonies!
The poem posted today completes the third book, British Standards.
BRITISH STANDARDS is now available: https://www.shearsman.com/store/Robert-Sheppard-British-Standards-p661920471
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Locating Robert Sheppard: email: robertsheppard39@gmail.com website: www.robertsheppard.weebly.com Follow on Twitter: Robert
Sheppard (@microbius) / Twitter latest
blogpost: www.robertsheppard.blogspot.com
