White Rose
White Rose
Benja L. Matteson
Nestled in the
green country,
in the
queen’s country.
It’s just a couple
hours on the train
before you find
my corner
of the world.
What a delight
to see
that blessed
cathedral peeking her head
above
the northern
moors.
Cobblestone streets and
cracked walls,
the smell of beer stains in an
old musty pub,
the sound of church bells from
towers above.
To hide in the minster yard is
all but serenity.
O’er the bridge I went,
ducking through
familiar old alleys
leading to
Ye’ Olde Starre
or Trembling Madness,
where dreary nights
are vanquished only by
laughter among candle light.
Give me slanted ceilings
and creaky floorboards
and age-old gardens
every time.
Float me down that old river Ouse
until I shore upon the
quietest village
where I can
be with my books
and die
a better man.
Pass this
wearied and weathered soul
some brown ale
and raise a glass
to that city of the White Rose —
where my heart
buds and blossoms.
Benja L. Matteson
Poet & Author
Benja is a novelist, poet, and travel writer living out of Nashville, TN. You can find a full collection of his works via his Instagram @benjalukewrites or his Substack, the Hollow Scribe Journal.
Photography by Maria Orlova