Through the Keyhole

Poem on St. Andrew’s, Mickfield, Suffolk — a medieval church home & AirBnB

St Andrew Church, Mickfield, Suffolk, converted into accommodation. Image: author’s own.

Born and bred Ipswich
Suffolk locals never knew
That down the road in Mickfield
Lies the fine church of St. Andrew

All taken lateral flow tests
To check we’re not infected
We cosied up around the fire
Much warmer than expected

Though I couldn’t get my head around
How to make a decent sound
From the bagpipes — I blew and blew
(The dog didn’t like it and neither would you)

Pipe organ at AirBnB. Image: author’s own.

Wind, brass, strings, percussion
No TV to hamper discussion
We played the pipe organ, piano, flute
A recorder with a broken reed
We couldn’t find a lute

Fun to be had, games to be played
Did you forget the stuffing in the oven Christmas day?
That’s ok…
We threw it away

The church is home to spiders
Building homes in every nook
Freddy the dog didn’t mind the cats
He barely gave a look

Books on cooking, books on thinking
Books what to do when your boat is sinking
Stalingrad, Trafalgar, Churchill, Tony Blair
Above Mein Kampf we noticed
Keith Richards sitting there

Cast of a dead man’s face? Image credit: author’s own.

Though some were scared of haunting
We saw no ghosts at all
Except a cast from a dead man’s face
Hanging on the wall

A grand door over 700-years old
Kept our party safe from the cold
A bed in a bell tower — incredible view
What a way to welcome 2022!

Unspoilt Medieval Grade 1 Listed Church, - Religious buildings for Rent in Stowmarket, United…