2013-09-01 – Poets Ride

I may not be riding with you
But this day I will not miss
Expect to see me along the route
Greeting you all with a kiss

Xxx

Dal^ is a great poet. I could ask him if he wants to join us on the ride...

Dal is a genius wordsmith. I love his use of immigrant english.

Dal^ is a great poet. I could ask him if he wants to join us on the ride...
Do it!

I may not be riding with you
But this day I will not miss
Expect to see me along the route
Greeting you all with a kiss

Xxx
I'd better send you the route then, ey? :) xx

I'll send Dal a message with a link to this thread. (I used to work with him in a school)

^ Lovely! Also looking forward to seeing you David.

A most enjoyable recce today with YAL (apart from one bloody scary Oh Shit! moment involving an incompetent driver turning in on us).

You're all going to love it!

Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.
I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.
His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier.
My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.

Is Kensal Green on the route?

I'm in! Never got in on one of these before; I'll be the one pushing my bike up Swain's Lane...

One of my friends just reminded me of his favourite poem by John Betjeman, and kindly passed on to me a version of it read by the poet himself and set to music, with a video starring Eric Morecambe!

John Betjeman - Indoor Games near Newbury - YouTube

In among the silver birches,
Winding ways of tarmac wander
And the signs to Bussock Bottom,
Tussock Wood and Windy Break.
Gabled lodges, tile-hung churches
Catch the lights of our Lagonda
As we drive to Wendy’s party,
Lemon curd and Christmas cake

Rich the makes of motor whirring
Past the pine plantation purring
Come up Hupmobile Delage.
Short the way our chauffeurs travel
Crunching over private gravel,
Each from out his warm garage.

O but Wendy, when the carpet
Yielded to my indoor pumps.
There you stood, your gold hair streaming,
Handsome in the hall light gleaming
There you looked and there you led me
Off into the game of Clumps.

Then the new Victrola playing;
And your funny uncle saying
“Choose your partners for a foxtrot.
Dance until it’s tea o’clock
Come on young ‘uns, foot it feetly.”
Was it chance that paired us neatly?
I who loved you so completely.
You who pressed me closely to you,
Hard against your party frock.

“Meet me when you’ve finished eating.”
So we met and no one found us.
O that dark and furry cupboard,
While the rest played hide-and-seek.
Holding hands our two hearts beating.
In the bedroom silence round us
Holding hands and hardly hearing
Sudden footstep, thud and shriek

Love that lay too deep for kissing.
“Where is Wendy? Wendy’s missing.”
Love so pure it had to end.
Love so strong that I was frightened
When you gripped my fingers tight.
And hugging, whispered “I’m your friend.”

Goodbye Wendy. Send the fairies,
Pinewood elf and larch tree gnome.
Spingle-spangled stars are peeping
At the lush Lagonda creeping
Down the winding ways of tarmac
To the leaded lights of home.

There among the silver birches,
All the bells of all the churches
Sounded in the bath-waste running
Out into the frosty air.
Wendy speeded my undressing.
Wendy is the sheet’s caressing
Wendy bending gives a blessing.
Holds me as I drift to dreamland
Safe inside my slumber wear

Hi Laura. Delighted you can join us. Don't worry about the climb - we're heading up towards Hampstead (rather than Highgate) so Swain's isn't on the route, unless you want it to be...? ;)

Hey jaw - Kensal Green is a bit further West than we're going on this ride - maybe next time!

I would like to do this and it would
be first ride thats not between home
and work, so should be fun. But alas
my in-laws are in town, so my
commitment to the ride is a bit
touch and go...i'll have to be a maybe
for now.

1.Miss Mouse
2.YAL
3.mands
4.BN
5.skydancer (has no answer) +1
6.HairyChris (lowly musician, lousy lyricist, great beard)
7.alexanderb
8.Stonehedge (piss artist)
9.Hairnet
10.anothersam
11.Jayson (crap poet, interested in London & history, if that helps), lol

^^ Lovely bit of free verse there, Sammy - juxtaposes nicely with your potential lack of freedom that weekend.* ;)

We'll have no talk of being crap, Jayson. Looking forward to having you on the ride.

*Someone studied literature far too long :/

Walking tires you;
Buses are crap;
The Tube perspires you
While minding that gap.
Cars stick in jams
Boil cabbie in kettle;
Cycling sculpts gams;
You might as well pedal.

1. Miss Mouse
   
2. YAL
   
3. mands
   
4. Oz ( possibly )
   
5. BN
   
6. Lynx (is a poet, but didn't know it)
   
7. skydancer (has no answer)
   
8. HairyChris (lowly musician, lousy lyricist, great beard)
   
9. alexanderb
   
10. Stonehedge (piss artist)
    
11. Hairnet
    
12. anothersam
    
    
    
    

We must love one another or die. Some poet said that.

Long time no see Sam! look forward to seeing you!

Greetings and love to each and every one
Do check this ride, it looks like fun
The route will be good and go to some great places
If you're new on here you'll meet some new faces
Do turn up, you'll be glad you did
This plug for the ride ends with 'do a skid....'

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I know I'll get my poetic coat....

is this actually about 'the great poets in Ldn' or is it just the acronym?

Actual poets with actual cycling - be good to see you there Ian!

Man this POETS day thing is killing me slowly

^^ Great poets, who lived in London (though not exclusively so). We'll visit key landmarks that inspired them, their houses, graves and more. You coming Ian?

^^^^ Tim, thanks for bumping but sorry you cannot make it.

Poets Ride

Poor American Lover
Overdoing things, lamenting
Efforts will be rewarded
Time will pass as always
Sun will shine on riding rhymers

Roads will lead us with our mouse to
Inns where bards have waited
Delighting in some pretty sounds
Enjoying London and its crowds

(Opps-When Conker mentioned acronym skydancer read acrostic)

Thats two new words Ive learnt.....acronym and acrostic....... this ride is starting to sound well 'Posh'......but me and me mate conks can stay at the back and take the proverbial.....

^ Spooky - I was about to send you a PM Tony asking if you were coming...clearly you are meant to! ;)

^^ David that's amazing!

No one understands my pain
I stand alone out in the rain
My soul is bobbing in the waters
Of Princess Miasma and her dark daughters.

From KoL: http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Awful_poetry_journal

Oh my, that's bad, seriously bad.

Reminds me of some of the clangers I've been in receipt of over the years.

Word to the wise - if you're trying to impress a Literature graduate with your own verse, it had better be damn good.

^^ that's so bad its brilliant

^ won't be coming cos I has a wedding to go to (ask tony - if he turns up for the ride)