THE QUEEN’S COFFIN & COAT
Coat of Arms draped,
Royal Standard flag.
Lions with a harp emblem.
Top—Imperial Crown.
Oak coffin lined in lead.
Seattle, March 7, 1983,
Westin Hotel coat check.
I was assigned to guard
The Queen’s Coat. Told,
“Never look in her pockets.”
Seeing pictures of the Queen
in her Royal Coats, I still wonder,
what was in her pockets?
Lie in state, Queen Elizabeth,
Westminster Hall is busy.
April Ryan, who briefly met one of the Queen’s coats, is a writer and poet, much published on Sharing Stories and in Poetry Corner.
SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website
for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” or a writer’s name into the search function above.
