Poetry in motion

The BBC reports that Great Britain poet laureate Andrew Motion has delivered a two-sided poetic tribute to Prince William on the occasion of his twenty-first birthday. Entitled “On the Record,” the “A” side is “kind of rap” in tribute to the prince’s interest in the form:
Better stand back
Here’s an age attack,
But the second in line
Is dealing with it fine.
It’s a threshold, a gateway,
A landmark birthday;
It’s a turning of the page,
A coming of age.
It’s a day to celebrate,
A destiny, a fate;
It’s a taking to the wing,
A future thing.
Better stand back
Here’s an age attack,
But the second in line
Is dealing with it fine.
It’s a sign of what’s to come,
A start, and then some;
It’s a difference growing,
A younger sort of knowing.
It’s a childhood gone,
A step towards the crown;
It’s a trigger of change,
A stretching of the range.
Better stand back
Here’s an age attack,
But the second in line
Is dealing with it fine.
The “B” side is written in a more traditional but equally hackneyed style. Motion says it’s a sonnet. Check it out if you love “poetry.”
The BBC invites readers to send their views on the prince’s rap. Take it away!

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