[John Whitworth]

The death of David Cameron's disabled son yesterday caused an outbreak of decency among politicians, including a surprisingly eloquent little speech from Gordon Brown (who also has a disabled son and also lost a child in infancy). If I had anything to say to Mr Cameron it would not be in my own words but in the words of better poets. I am thinking of Ben Jonson, who lost his own son Benjamin at seven years old, and the Latin poet Martial who wrote a number of short poems to his little slave girl Erotion, dead at five. I wonder if Sphereans have any favourite poems like these. Or indeed have written any.