I must go back to the village
Where Elizabeth Bennet lived,
I must see again the Cob at Lyme
From which Luisa fell.
I must go back to the fields
Of Ratty and of Mole.
And hear what Toad is up to now
And the rest of the river news.
I must go back to the Thames, where George’s shirt
Sank in the murky water.
I must find the island where that night in the rain
Harris finished the whisky.
Back to the streets of the Borough,
Where a creaking inn sign swings in the wind,
And Fagin lives up the winding stair.
Back to Baker Street
Baking hot in August
But dismal in November fog
To watch Mrs Hudson usher in
Another nervous visitor.
Back to the docks at Wapping
All gone now, all long gone,
To hear the old night watchman
On his tea chest spinning yarns
Of Sam and Ginger and Peter Russet.
I’ve been away too long.
The sky is blue,
The sea is blue,
The hibiscus flowers each day,
But as time goes by, I know
I’ve been too long away.