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In 2015, I reached the final of the Worcestershire Poet Laureate Competition with the following poem. King John is entombed in Worcester Cathedral, and the competition final took place very close to the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, so it was inevitable that I wrote about it.
Magna Carta Libertatum
Dear John,
You may not be remembered well,
For you were weak, ill-advised, greedy.
But you gave us all a gift,
For which we thank you.
Dear John,
Cowering, fearful of rebellion,
You came to Runnymede
And submitted to the Great Charter of Liberties,
Sealing your place in history.
The divine right of kings was no more.
They knew kings could concede.
In time, kings would bleed.
Largely now repealed,
Still powerful.
Dear John,
Do you know your Great Charter was the foundation of
So, so many great,
Yet somehow lesser,
Charters that followed?
The cornerstone of liberty, which spread to so many lands.
The American Constitution, a symbolic embodiment of freedoms,
Draws inspiration from the vellum and wax symbol of your downfall,
So small, yet bearing such weight.
Dear John,
We truly thank you for your gift,
Even though you did not want to give it.
In your final resting place
Within Severn’s sweet vale,
In Worcester’s hallowed cathedral,
Sleep well.
© Damon Lord, 2015
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