Richard Devereux is a poet who lives in Bristol, England. He is the author of Bill, a collection based on his grandfather’s experiences in Salonika in World War One. He is a retired lawyer who took to heart Socrates’ injunction to ‘question them’.
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Introduction to Socrates
Basle Railway Station 1969
Richard Devereux
Basle Railway Station 1969
Richard Devereux
A
Homburg
a long black coat
shuffling along the platform
(in the early hours
we were changing trains)
the old man stopped
which is when I saw the violin
strapped to his back
in a battered case.
Are you in charge
of the school party?
No. I was sixteen.
Was he one of those
who missed the train
of no return
a war-time ago?
sure-footed then
with a new violin?
I wondered what
he must have seen
& might have known
but our train drew in.
Take care of yourself,
good men are few
he gripped my arm
impressing
on me
Never believe what they tell you.
Question them
like Socrates.