Poor Richard
dear kanga
Leave Report
Sabbatical • Departure • Arrival • Elgin Crescent • A Shot of the British Museum • At the Victoria and Albert • The Book of Kells • At Kew • Through Pisa • Return to Iffley • Mordros
Source: Poor Richard: Poems. Wellington: Port Nicholson Press, 1982
Electronic source: Poor Richard: a TEI-conformant transcription
All poems © W. H. Oliver
5
since his retirement pooh
has had too much time on his own
fault if he will write poems
for the local throwaway paper
as silly as a swarm of smoked bees
they all say he should leave
young people alone but piglet
looking up with admiration
as they walk on the beach hand in hand
knows much better than that
is enough to keep pooh happy
for all of a clear summer day
in spite of the way they talk
is sure to make trouble when
you are that way inclined neighbours
think all kinds of things and rightly
more often than not when there is
a puff of smoke there are bees
and at least a lick of honey