Like Helpston's John Clare

 The greatest Nature poet of the English language many claim him to be

Yet he died in Northampton Mental Asylum in dire poverty

A natural poet and his sort are rare

There has not been one since like Helpston's John Clare

He grew to love Nature as a herding boy

And to many lovers of  Nature his poems a source of joy

In death the true test of writers is their  readers in numbers have grown

As a Nature poet Clare does remain in a class of his own

Though in Northampton mental asylum he lived since his physical prime

He was England's greatest Nature poet of his time

He was a brilliant student of Nature of him one can say

His poems are read and enjoyed by people Worldwide today

His memorable poems on birds and animals his legacy to humanity

Written at a time when he was mentally unwell and in great misery

To mention a few of his memorable poems  The Thrush's Nest and The Landrail,

The Badger The Fox and The March Nightingale

As a young man he did have a mental breakdown

But this did not prevent him from attaining his place in literary renown

Helpston the Village of his boyhood widely known due to his fame

And his lives today as a great literary name.