English Treasure
Queen Boudicca's calibre
Arthur's sword Excalibur
Poppies at the Cenotaph
Gandalf and his magic staff,
Melancholy verse by Keats
Triffids on deserted streets
Dramas known as kitchen sinks
Sunny singles by the Kinks,
Dreams that Millais left behind
Country lanes that tend to wind
Looming Stonehenge megaliths
Dover's line of chalky cliffs,
Betjeman and William Blake
Bluebird speeding on the lake
Alfred Hitchcock, Robin Hood
Roast beef next to Yorkshire pud,
Pots of tea for pick-me-ups
Non-league teams in FA Cups
Cornish bays with little boats
Kenneth Williams anecdotes,
Vintage cars that need a push
Lily Langtry and Kate Bush
Rambling in the Yorkshire Dales
Enid Blyton's Noddy tales,
Fish and chips and shepherd's pies
Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise
Tommy Cooper's scarlet fez
Whistle Down The Wind and Kes,
Village taverns, Desperate Dan
Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man
Sunshine on the Pennines Way
Skies of unrelenting grey,
Alan Bennett, Morrissey
Weston-super-Mare by sea
Peter Pan, a bear named Pooh
And The Long Good Friday too,
Henry Tudor's lengthy reign
HG Wells and Michael Caine
Winston Churchill, Rubber Soul
English treasure makes me whole.
©