I wrote my first ubi sunt poem in response to Laura Bloomsbury’s poetry prompt for the d’ Verse Poets MTB: Ubi Sunt and that Where, Oh Where.
Ubi Sunt Poetry
Norse sagas, Latin and Medieval verse, and love songs often express a shared yearning—a form of questioning known as ubi sunt (“Where are they?”), a term drawn from the longer Latin phrase: Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt—“Where are those who were before us?”
My featured image is an acrylic painting of my sons, Dan and Ben, which I painted when they were little.
I hope you enjoy my poem and its song interpretation!
Where Did It All Go?
by Lesley Scoble
Where are the grazed knees?
The fun-filled climbs up trees?
The yelps when from the tree they fell—
And my soothing tone?
And my yell?
Where went those excited cheers for ice-cream—
the mad dash,
when they heard the van’s jingle tune,
and the chimes?
Where are those long days—
those happy times, that went on forever?
They were never going to end. Never!
Where went the sense of freedom at the school’s out bell?
Did it go into the dusk and over the dell?
Where went the rush home for tea, rice pudding and jam?
Where went the football they kicked?
The worn-away grass from their game?
Where did we go from whence we came?
Where is the last time they went out to play?
Can you say? Do you know?
Did it go down with the sun
At the end of What day?
Over what hill did their exuberance run?
When was it over?
When was it done?
—Lesley Scoble, August 2025
Music Audio – Where did it all go?
*The AI-generated music and voice in this song were shaped by my lyrics and guided by my musical prompts.
CREDITS
Enormous thanks to our d’Verse Poets’ host, Laura Bloomsbury, for challenging us with her Ubi sunt poetry prompt.
My heartfelt gratitude to you, the reader, for your time reading and listening to my poem. 🙏
Featured image credit: My sons Dan and Ben | Acrylic painting on paper©️Lesley Scoble
To find out more about the d’Verse Poets, follow the link below.
LesleyScoble.com 
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