The Devil and Mrs. Brown
and other poems
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Trees
So you too love trees
The ash thrusting its pinnate fingers
Through the dark sleeves of spring
The rowan tenaciously clinging
Round the ear of the bald mountain
The ogival wonder of the beech
The poplar with its thin-legged dancers
Pirouetting in the wind
The sycamore scything the earth for its saplings
The apparently healthy elm
Like a civilisation dying
And, of course, the false
Acacia with its tortured trunk
And heavy scented blossoms appearing
When summer’s nearly done
Like a love that comes
Almost too late.
Not merely in the leaf
The tree lives not merely in the leaf,
Nor the flower in the petal.
Love must be fashioned from belief,
As the sword from the metal.
The blossom can but reflect the soil,
As the long kiss the waiting.
The statue must be built from toil
Heartache can end in mating.
Years of hardship formed my need,
A different life your wronging
But leaf and root are in the seed
And it’s there we link our longing.
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Book Details
About the Book
"The Devil and Mrs Brown" is a "mini-epic" forming the main work in the book. It is based on a mediaeval legend deriving from Languedoc telling the story of an ill-fated love affair between a lady and her squire. It includes two translations from Provencal, or Occitan as it is now more generally known, which was the language spoken generally in that part of Southern France. This area was devastated initially by a Crusade declared by Pope Innocent III and later by the ruthless activities of the Inquisition.The story has been given a 20th century framework in order to establish the nature of the world in which the poet is writing and a comparison with mediaeval times..
The rest of the book is made up of poems written by the author over the last 60 years from a "discovery of poetry" (and love) to more recent experiments with form and content. It includes a number of sonnets, translations from the French and other languages, humourous pieces, some written with children in mind and one or two intended as lyrics to be set to music.There are also several "haiku", the 3-line, 7-syllable Japanese form that is enjoying such a vogue at the moment.
About the Author
Leslie Rocker has been writing poetry for about 60 years, during which time he has worked as a journalist, magazine editor, actor, singer, theatre director, stage manager and, in the most recent decades of his professional life, as an association executive for international, national and local societies. Much of this work involved travelling extensively and organising major conferences and conventions throughout the world.
In the theatre he worked in rep., on tour, and on London's West End. He also had a number of small parts in TV, but found it was not a medium that that he enjoyed working in.
During off periods in his theatrical life he had a number of diverse "resting" jobs, including work as a lawyer's clerk, dealing blackjack in London casinos, and helping to sort the Christmas mail !
He served his three-year national service in the Merchant Navy, after "training" at the Gravesend Sea School, located during World War 2 at Sharpness Docks, Gloucestershire. At sea he was fortunate enough to become a student in the College of the Sea run by the Seafarer's Education Service, which helped to make up for the deficiences of war-time education.
During his life as a young journalist in London he was fortunate enough to be able to visit the theatre and attend concerts frequently, as well as the many art galleries and exhibitions held through the 50s, including the Festival of Britain.He was able to practise and develop his prose style by contributing reviews to various magazines and articles to The Times and what was then known as The Manchester Guardian.
He has written a number of plays, some of which have enjoyed small-scale productions, and short stories. He has just completed his autobiography and is now looking for new challenges.