Oh, to be in England

It is odd that of all the many citizenships one can claim, one cannot be “English “, unless you were born in one of the ‘Shires’.
I am British, but it is the imagery, of ‘England’, that Rupert Brooke aspires to in that amazing poem that I feel, too.
I remember walking down English Country lanes, or driving them in later years. Admiring the vista and the people.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a proud Canadian also.
But as an “English school boy” we were taught Brooke’s poem in a period when poetry was completely lost on me, he suddenly resonated with a wimpy 14 year old.
I have loved his poetry all my life and his collected works are within reach, even now.
Not just Rupert Brooke, but many other great men and women had lives cut short.
I thank them.