Lighthearted in Italy:
Beginnings of British
Insouciance
At eighteen months the Attic prince was laid
Inside a fruit crate on the ship that took
His family into exile with a maid
Or two and valet. Nanny calmly shook
A blanket over him that winter day
And so he was oblivious to pains,
Unlike his sisters who in sweat’s dismay
Burned all their letters. Caught in panic’s strains
Two parents also fled to be on board
The little cruiser sent to banish their
Old life from them. That much was their reward
For being make do royals in despair.
But back on land young Philip on a train
Made light of loss, licking the window pane.
This poem is part of a shorter sonnet sequence within this large sonnet sequence called The Encyclopedia Sonnetica. The shorter sonnet sequence is called “Philip, Prince of Greece and Great Britain.” I recommend you read this poem where it is set in its sonnet sequence. To do that, search for “Philip, Prince of Greece and Great Britain” here in The Encyclopedia Sonnetica.