ALEXA
Sister rhymes with blister; that’s just coincidence
So calm down Dears, I speak today in Wookie Bear’s defence
Or should I call you Mrs Shanks, your name of but an hour
What d’you propose Alexa Rose – our Rectory’s youngest flower
The honour of my role is great, in short I was delighted
To echo thoughts of people close, and those who weren’t invited
To summarise and ponder times, since when a babe in arms
I’ll rush through any horrid bits and concentrate on charms
Idyllic were her early years, she didn’t want for naught
Her siblings were perfection, her parents rarely out
Upon her birth her doting Dad from dictionary had ripped
That ghastly inconvenient word known commonly as strict
Like me he weeps at anything his darling child achieves
From tying up her shoelaces, to chasing errant leaves
When playing for the Tudor Thirds, at doubles, what a day
You might have thought it Wimbledon or Roland Garros Clay
For every good cop on the beat, there has to be a foil
A child can simply run the joint, for all their parents toil
So Mum must be saluted here for keeping her in check
Discipline is part of love, which Nick and I forget
Angelic as a child she was, the sweetest little girl
Sylvanians, friends and ponies kept her busy in her world
Summers spent in Cornwall and every year Corfu
And always fun to wind up, as only brothers do
She passed with flying colours when wielding a pen
At Kitebrook, Tudor, then at Stowe, she strove to find her Zen
But teens were also tricky times, when so much would enrage her
She tried with great success to ape – one Kevin the Teenager
The slouch, the ‘WOT’, the slamming doors, the stomping up the stairs
The hoody and the attitude, the dragging tracksuit flares
It all led to a moment when the family bell was rung
World War Three erupted at the piercing of her tongue
Twenty Firsts soon followed, her group of friends was tight
They found their way, they partied hard, they broke on through the night
But I will not believe one tale from Basil’s celebration
Where out she passed, clad as at birth...a wide-eyed congregation
Yet suddenly a miracle, Alexa Rose at last
Though Lady might be pushing it, she grew up pretty fast
And cast aside the shackles of youth and adolescence
She got a job, swopped flares for skirts and changed her life in essence
Kelso Place became her base, a scene of happy times
The Asbo threat a memory, a distant brush with crime
She threw great dinner parties, she cooks like Raymond Blanc
With discounts from our wine merchant, she never served up plonk
Then fate threw in the card that put her in this dress today
She started work at Mellon Bank, excelling all the way
But soon, more than mere spread sheets attracted her attention
Up to the plate stepped David Shanks, let’s give the groom a mention
Davide - you hail from where our dearest Grandmother was born
So East meets West and joins again through vows today you’ve sworn
We know how much you care for her, that’s clearly understood
Welcome to our family mate...and to the brotherhood
Alexa Rose is vulnerable beneath a steely gait
And David’s calming nature brings strong balance to the state
We all have our complexities, we all have sunny days
Wouldn’t life be very dull without our different ways
Here she stands before us, at proud King David’s side
A daughter and a sister still, but now a wondrous bride
We wish you luck, we wish you well, now take with you our love
And shine together two as one, with help from him above
©Henry Birtles