John Shenton
In this evocative collection of poetry, history’s echoes resound through verse, warning of the perils of forgotten lessons and the fate of empires that grow complacent. From the rolling tides of Albion to the distant frontier of Mars, these poems explore sovereignty, sacrifice, and the unseen forces shaping our world.At its heart, this collection is a lament for a fading world order. The once-mighty spirit of empire wanes under the weight of fractured leadership, vanishing crowns, and the silent erosion of liberty. The Spirit of Albion, The Vanishing Crown, and The Muzzled Lion speak to the loss of national identity and the slow march of decline.History’s cycles are laid bare in The Barbarians at the Gate and The Empire’s Warning, where past and present converge, reminding us that civilizations fall not with a single blow, but with a series of quiet surrenders. Economic folly, unchecked migration, and political gamesmanship form the foundation of The Tariff’s Toll, The Price of Their Games, and The Ballad of Two Laws, where justice is not blind but led by a craven hand.Yet, this is not merely a eulogy for the past, it is also a prophecy. The rise of technology, the false promises of progress, and the perils of electric utopias are captured in The Promise and Peril of the Electric Steed, Depreciation’s Wrath, and The Green Mirage, which question the blind rush toward energy revolutions that may shackle rather than liberate. The expanding frontier of space, the last unclaimed dominion, looms in The Road to Mars and The Star-Road’s Call, urging us to ask: will we carry our mistakes into the stars?Interwoven with these grand themes are deeply personal laments, of soldiers sent to die for distant masters (The Soldier’s Lament), of daughters abandoned in pursuit of progress (The Daughters We Forsake), and of the creeping decay of law and order (The Lawful and the Lawless). In The Poppy’s Ghost, the spectre of addiction casts its shadow, a dire warning of the silent wars waged not with guns, but with poison.This is a book of warnings and reckonings, of chains forged by our own hands, and of the choices that shape nations and individuals alike. A call to remembrance, a cry of defiance, and a stark vision of what awaits should we continue down this path, this collection offers both lamentation and challenge.Will we heed the lessons of the past? Or will history, once again, be forced to repeat itself?
