Oh, England.What was that?
Are we still friends?
You’re scaring me.
You’re pulling out of the staff
Lottery syndicate.
Buying your own tickets now,
Hoping the big one comes along.
We turned one way
At the crossroads
Already convinced
That we were lost.
The loudest shouter
Demanded the way
That looked best for him.
He had no map.
Just instinct,
Not even an app,
And now the engine sounds
Like its out of fuel.
England.
You shrank.
You stink.
You snarl.
You don’t think.
You regret.
The scariest thing is wondering what
Kind of language this seemingly legitimises,
What small stands a good man can take in a world
Where hate is now seen as justifiable
Because that funny Farage bloke looks like he might
Say something similar, you know,
Sipping a lager, probably, chortling and saying it
Not because it’s right but because it sounds
Good in the saying.
He’s got the rhythms,
He’s got the moves.
He looks like he thrives in chaos.
Perhaps he’ll buy us a round.
Oh, England.
I never felt comfortable with your flag,
Seeing it more as the appropriation of the mindless
Snivelling narrow minded seething loud mouthed
Gut-led instinct ignoring boozer whose political
Pronouncements sound leery in the pub environment,
Just one of the lads,
Waving that flag,
Waving it with all their might,
Waving that damn flag.
We are an island.
And some think that this means
We cannot join hands,
Reach out and help those jump across
When they need it the most,
Share some love because we all have love,
Even a skinhead can have a tender heart
If only he weren’t so
Afraid to show his true emotions.
The chanting of the pack might not make sense
But when it echoes back from high street shop fronts,
There’s a certain inevitability.
All it takes is an idiot with ambition
And a modicum of hatred.
Some think we need to build a wall,
But that would only succeed in
Keeping us in.
Oh, England.
I see no boundaries,
I see no politics,
And it’s not just me.
So long as we are on this planet
We cannot escape our duties,
Our humanity,
That others might be inclined to stand tall
And say that they exist for the greater good,
For peace and love, togetherness,
Understanding, sharing,
Kindness, curiosity,
Passions of the truest kind,
Rather than some localised upchuck,
And this at least makes me
Feel slightly better about the future.
Good people will always
Be there.
Good people wilL always
Be there.
Oh, England.
Robert Garnham 