IT IS a beautiful day in Alexandra Park

The sun allows the shadows of trees

To dance joyfully in August sunshine

On verdant grass, in the distance

The calm Channel gleams with silver.

The flowerbeds are a vibrant mix of hues

And as I stroll under a sky of blue

I close my eyes and imagine the view

Over a century before when the war memorial

Was not required and in those halcyon days

A real, not wooden, eagle dwelled in the park

Although it is a fitting tribute

And I picture a young couple on a bench

Oblivious that in just a few years

The carnage of the First World War would start

Thus breaking many a poor mother’s heart.

Guy Fletcher

Pantmawr

Cardiff