Ode to Roundhay St. John's Church
The shell of a church sits on a hill
St. John's Church, Roundhay by name,
Without a fascinator or a frill
Yet still deserving of its past fame.
Though bereft of its past glories,
'Tis the resting place of Leeds' good and great
Of those with untold stories,
Of the ancestors of our Wiliam's Kate.
The church bells no longer ring.
Those who worshiped there are gone.
The ancestors of our future king
Lie disgraced beneath the weeded lawn.
The Church of England sold this treasure,
To be rid of its expense,
Grieving family members beyond measure,
With little hope of recompense.
The new owners of the Church
Let it decay to mouldering rot,
Leaving the people of Leeds in the lurch,
And seeming to care not.
The organ has crumbled from the wall.
Water flows through holes in the roof.
Pigeons now foul the hall,
Where once the Lord was proof.
Is it not time to say "No more!" To act before it is too late,
To solve the problem at its core,
To save the church from its unholy fate?
The good people of this fair city
Must take back their national treasure
From owners who have no pity
Or the church will be a loss beyond measure.
William E. Feeman Jr
The shell of a church sits on a hill
St. John's Church, Roundhay by name,
Without a fascinator or a frill
Yet still deserving of its past fame.
Though bereft of its past glories,
'Tis the resting place of Leeds' good and great
Of those with untold stories,
Of the ancestors of our Wiliam's Kate.
The church bells no longer ring.
Those who worshiped there are gone.
The ancestors of our future king
Lie disgraced beneath the weeded lawn.
The Church of England sold this treasure,
To be rid of its expense,
Grieving family members beyond measure,
With little hope of recompense.
The new owners of the Church
Let it decay to mouldering rot,
Leaving the people of Leeds in the lurch,
And seeming to care not.
The organ has crumbled from the wall.
Water flows through holes in the roof.
Pigeons now foul the hall,
Where once the Lord was proof.
Is it not time to say "No more!" To act before it is too late,
To solve the problem at its core,
To save the church from its unholy fate?
The good people of this fair city
Must take back their national treasure
From owners who have no pity
Or the church will be a loss beyond measure.
William E. Feeman Jr