Cirencester bells announce tomorrow

above the faintest of lingering murmurs

from children excited by new discovery

and stilettos striding over Roman mosaics

echoing through now darkened galleries

at frequencies inaudible to all mankind

yet heard by one headless whippet

of Coxwell Street and me

for vast doors are now bolted shut

the Corinium desolate for another night

apart from my desperate flitting

in search of release from yesterdays

after a torment of two millennia

spent striving desperately for my freedom

from shackles of a lingering death

when warring Britons I confronted

as a foot soldier in Claudius’ legions

that marched across their primitive land

participating in bloody conflicts

wielding axes and double-edged swords

now preserved for perpetuity

after battle-site excavations

together with my wounded soul

to torment descendents omnipotent

for I may be but an apparition

still tainted with a wretched stench

of formaldehyde and methanol

laced with a pungency of long decay

hence release me from that vacuous realm

extricate me from ethereal dimensions

deliver me from this Corinium

before church bells announce tomorrow.

*

Biography

Born in Scotland of Irish lineage, Alun Robert is a prolific creator of lyrical verse and has achieved success in poetry competitions. Recently, he has featured in literary magazines, anthologies and on the web. He is a performance poet with extensive experience. His influences extend from Burns to Shakespeare, Kipling to Betjeman, Dennis to Mazzoli.