by Janette Ward
Yes, I remember Three Shires –
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat, The Daffodil Bus drew up there
By request. It was late June.
The deck lowered. The boss got off.
Helped with the wheelchair and frame
Loaded the fencing panels
And set off, at last, once again
Past willows, willow-herb and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
As pleasant and as joyfull still
As the high cloudlets in the sky.
And then the passengers rejoiced
As we travelled on in festive cheer
Farther and farther through all the lanes
Of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.