My highlight of our trip to the UK in 2006 was a visit to the North Wales town with the longest place name in Britain. That’s me at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Station.
I’ve wanted to write a poem about it since penning one about Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagogchaubunagunggamaugg, the longest place name in the US. That one took me four months.
(Part III will be even harder: paying homage to the world champ Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiure-haeaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu out the back of Waipukurau.)
The Welsh poem turned musical when I realised that the name could be made to scan with a beautiful Welsh folk song we used to sing at Hutt Intermediate.
As follows… Continue reading
John Ansell 
