Lawrence Hall
Ever
England
For Battle of Britain Day
Brave Hurricanes and Spits still claw
and climb
Far up into the English summer sky
At the lingering end of a golden time
As wild young lads and aging empires die
The Hood and the Rodney
still the Channel guard
Against the strident Men of Destiny
Then shellfire falls; the helm is over
hard
But the brave old ships keep the Narrow
Sea
Dear Grandpa and the boys sport thin tin
hats
In Sunday afternoon’s invasion drill
Gram says he’s too damned old for all of
that
But she too smells the smoke of
Abbeville
Faith does not pass with ephemeral time:
Brave Hurricanes and Spits still claw
and climb
