Shakespeare Challenge: patriotism

This is Lee; he’s currently building our new patio. He’s done a number of jobs for us. A new roof a couple of years ago and more recently re-plastering our kitchen/dining room after Anniemay took a crowbar to a kitchen shelf. (see here).

I think Henry V would have called Lee a patriot; when he left school, he joined the Royal Marines. Implicit in this, is the assumption that he would be expected to die for his country, if called upon to do so. It’s what my Dad did - and many other Dads too - in 1939.

As well as the usual skills, like running around a lot and shooting guns, Lee learned to develop his prodigious musical talent and joined the Band of The Royal Marines. As a musician, his patriotism took an unusual turn and he ended up as a member of the late Queen Mother’s personal Royal Marines Jazz Band (and there was such a thing. No - I didn’t believe it either when he first told me).

Lee has a wonderfully rich singing voice and when he’s not re-plastering and tiling, he has a very successful career as a Neil Diamond impersonator. All the jobs he does tend to take twice as long as anyone else because we have to allow time in the day for discussions about music, watching music videos on YouTube or listening to his latest recording. So it’s lucky he’s not on a daily rate.

As this is the last day of April - and therefore the final day of both the Shakespeare Challenge and the Poem a day Challenge, I though I would combine the two. I swear never to attempt another poem again.

Lee went for a soldier
that’s what I heard them say
took the royal shilling
for a life on army pay

marched off with his musket
and his fife and drum
swapped fatigues for sequins
and found Diamond star-dom

“once more unto the gig dear friends -
be ready at my sign”
and when the signal came, he went -
with Sweet Caroline