Axbridge Review: poem written especially for the Axbridge Pageant 2022

The Axbridge Anthem

Written for the Axbridge Pageant 2022

Will you come gather,
Cornflowers and lavender?
Hazelnuts and blackberries,
And sweet juicy strawberries?

We’ll hook down the sloes,
Where the dark rhynes do flow,
Take fruit from the apple tree,
And honey from the honey bee.

We’ll splash in the clay pits,
And frighten the linnets,
Scratch our bare knees,
In brambles and trees.

And gather bunches of pinks,
On high Mendip ridge,
Buttercups and rosehips,
In the hedges of Axbridge

And give them to mother,
Aunty and brother,
From the places we roam,
In our blue lias homes.

Celtic, Roman, Tudor, Dane
Saxon, Norman, Worker, Thane
Soldier, Teacher, Farmer, Maid
Servant, Landlord, Mistress, Slave

Mother, Father, Cousin, Bride
Ancient, Baby, Adult, Child
We are Axbridge first and last
We are the future, the present and the past.

Harry Mottram