I was in the Cosy Club restaurant in Coventry a few months where I saw a portrait, one among many used as decoration. This one was a bit different to the others as it was a man in modern dress, in what appeared to an academic robe. So I wrote a poem about him.

SIC TRANSIT…….

He was an important fellow surely,
Much loved by all who knew him.
His portrait hung in a prominent place
so, his notable life be not forgotten.

There wasn’t the money for anyone famous;
A young man was found to do the job
of painting the old man before his retirement
so, his notable life be not forgotten.

New men came after, with modern ideas.
The great hall replaced by a self-service bar.
Portraits thought dreary were sold off quite cheaply
so, his notable life was soon forgotten.

Now his portrait hangs on a restaurant wall
and nobody knows who he was at all.