|
The Roman Soldier
It was late evening, I walked along on the walls of
the ancient city of Chester, I saw him, the old centurion,
he stood alone dreaming of retirement, the land and
slaves he had been promised when he joined the army.
He and his kind were hated here, in his own beloved land
the almond tree stood in ornate regalia whishing spring
welcome by strewing a carpet of flowers on its path.
He didn’t see the two terrorists sneak up on him, when
he did it was too late, and slowed by age he was knifed
repeatedly. I think they must have sensed my presence,
looking my way they stopped, jumped over the parapet
and vanished. I held the centurion’s hands, he opened
his brown eyes, a brave little smile, and said: “Guess
I shan’t see the flowering of the almond tree this year.”
Jan Oskar Hansen is a poet, storyteller and Seafarer, born in 1938 in Stavanger, Norway.
He joined the merchant navy at 15 and spent most of his life at sea until settling in the early
1990s in Portugal. His poetry has been widely published in hard copy and online, worldwide.
Literary critics have generally commented that a love and honoring of living things stands
out in Hansen's work, and deep humility; that it reveals with unflinching honesty man's
shortcomings in his efforts to love, telling what there is to tell in a first person,
deeply resident universal voice.
The poet is widely read and fluent in several languages, knowledge often acquired at night
during his many years at sea. He chose to write primarily in English following enthusiastic
reception of his work from English-speaking editors and readers.
Email: Jan Oskar Hansen
Return to Table of Contents
|