TWO OLD FAVOURITES

Two of my favourite poems from when I was at school and that is many moons ago - but I always loved the lyricism of them - 

OZYMANDIUS  

Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land 

who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone 

stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, 

half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 

and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, 

tell that its sculptor well those passions read 

which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things. 

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; 

and on the pedestal these words appear: 

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, 

look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” 

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay 

of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare .

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

THE DONKEY

G. K. Chesterton

When fishes flew and forests walked   

   and figs grew upon thorn,   

some moment when the moon was blood   

   then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry

   and ears like errant wings,   

the devil’s walking parody   

   on all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

   of ancient crooked will;

starve, scourge, deride me, I am dumb.   

   I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

   one far fierce hour and sweet.   

There was a shout about my ears,

   and palms before my feet.

***

You can clearly see the mark of the cross over the withers and running down the back 
of this little bloke.  Often they have striped markings on their legs as well. 

 The legend has it the these stripes were caused by their legs being struck by palm fronds that the crowds threw down to line the pathway taken by the donkey that carried  Christ to his crucifixion, and that every donkey thereafter bore the stripes and the cross on his coat to honour his devotion and loyalty to our saviour.......and every donkey does.