History Maze

I am 27 wandering
About in the garden
Maze at Hampton Court
With my friend who is as lost
As I am when we hear a little girl’s
Voice on the other side of the hedge
Wall talking to her father about all
The history of this famous royal
Residence when she muses
That the Americans must
Not read much history
As America has so
Little history itself
Unlike Britain’s
History which
Has lots to
Read on
And I
Must admit
She is right about
Americans not reading
Much American history as
Many of my students were sure
They did not need to read the
Textbook on the history of
America as they felt they
Already knew all there
Was to know and I
Am reminded
Of a British
Couple in
St Marks
In Venice who
In the early 1980s
During the Viet Nam
Aftermath, she told me that
Roman aristocrats sometimes
Cut off their sons thumbs to keep
Them out of the army to which
I replied, “Well, there will
Always be a Liberal
Party.” The lady
Turned and
Stomped
Away,
Her husband
Laughed telling
Me she was a Liberal
MP and so did not like my
Reference to the old Liberal
Party pre WW1 slogan
Which had once
Dominated
British
Politics but
Now was history,
A-maze-ing.