In Praise of Home
by cricketjeff on January 29, 2012. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
I’ve seen Pyramids by moonlight, taken boat-trips on the Nile
Walked on balmy golden beaches where the local beauties smile,
Seen the cloud-kissed Himalayas, walked on China’s ancient walls.
Felt the constant inundation of the World’s most famous falls.
But the scenes that leave me breathless where I feel my heart portrayed
Are of sunny days in England, when there’s cricket to be played.
When I walk on Lakeland mountains, find a friendly local pub,
Drink a pint of cloudy cider as I finish up my grub.
I’m as certain as I can be there are roads that don’t find Rome
There can never be another place like home.
I adore the Scottish Islands, where the rocks defy the sea,
And the green of Ireland’s heartlands always sing a song for me.
I could sit and gaze for hours from the mountain tops of Wales
But it’s walks on English Downland that will top my list of tales.
I can settle in the sunlight where my first great plans were laid
On a sunny day in England when there’s cricket to be played.
Though the Rocky Mountain’s grandeur can’t be equalled in my land
And a cocktail may taste sweeter sat on Caribbean sand.
Kublai Khan was not in Greenwich when he saw his pleasure dome
But there’ll never be a better place than home
When I saw the stars shine brightly in a dark Saharan sky
I was overwhelmed by beauty till I thought that I might cry.
And in Singapore the Harbour with its city streets of ships
Brought an off-tune sailor’s hornpipe from the space between my lips
But it’s England where my heart lives and her charms can’t be outweighed
On a sunny day in Summer when there’s cricket to be played!
English