the english poet Simon Armitage composed a tribute poem to Queen Elizabeth II consisting of a double acrostic. With the initial letter of each verse, you can read “Elizabeth, Elizabeth” vertically.
floral tribute
Evening will come, whatever late afternoon is determined,
Lime trees and oaks in their last green color, pearling in the September mist.
I have conjured a lily to light up these hours, in token of thanks,
Areas and auras of soft glow framing the glowing orbs.
A promise made and kept for life – it was your gift –
Because of what, here is a gift in return, a glove for some,
Each shiny cap is guarded by severe lance-shaped leaves.
The country has taken on its entirety in your delicate hands,
Hands that can rest now, relieved of the weight of a century.
In the evening to eat. Rain on black lochs and dark munros.
Lily of the valley, an almost namesake, a favorite flower
Intertwined with your famous bouquets, the sober
Zeal and energetic grace of its lanterns, each inflorescence
A silent bell disguising a singular voice. A blurry new day
Crownless breaks on remote peaks and public parks, and
Everything revolves around these luminous petals and deep roots,
This lily that grows between the arrow and the tree, whose brilliance
Holds and shines beyond life and the boundary of its flowering.
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