Brexit and Circuses
It’s a bit experimental, this one…
You see, we have this unique,
incredible political union.
Victorian tented-circus Strongman,
built like Brexshit House.
What we need is
a sleight of hand,
find-the-pea, conman,
apparently.
Boris a steady man
in a crisis.
You can trust him,
he’s steeped
in ‘Old School’ values.
Values that pre-date
Reformed Christianity
and Constipati.., sorry,
Constitutional monarchy.
But this is beyond crisis,
It’s the lingering death.
Of feudal privilege
and neo-liberalism.
Labour
like a middle-aged
spinster, is off
to ‘find’ herself
but throwing her
walking shoes away.
The Tories meanwhile
share a dormitory feast,
in the dark, then emerge
with jam and cream
on their chins.
The seats are free
at this particular,
peculiar English Circus.
And there’s no rule book.
Having a written constitution
is constitutionally unsound.
So twelve worthy,
‘old school’ justices
will examine our
Bearded Lady,
to determine exact sex.
Didn’t Francis Drake
once pull or singe
the beard of
the King of Spain?
No wonder
we don’t rub shoulders
with continentals.
It’s hard enough keeping
our own lions tamed.
Maybe the audience
should focus on
the clowns. No?
The mad japes
and frolics of
CoCo Farage and
fantastical Mr Fox
may just be the ticket,
though you should
try to avoid
the elephant dung…
I’ve read this through a couple of times and while admiring it muchly, I find myself wondering if it would have been better presented in the prose category, laid out as prose, as that’s how it reads? I know, I know, that always begs that eternal and awful question “what is poetry?” … pass; but this, to my eye/ear, is a very interesting piece of prose.
“we have this unique,
incredible political union”
– not sure if you’re referring to the EU union or the 1707 union? Perhaps that uncertainty is what you intend. Elfstone
Hi Elf,
Just now catching up with my social media, so sorry for the delay in responding. You’re very perceptive. The piece started life as a Facebook post. I did a workshop once, where we took short pieces of prose and turned them into best attempt verse. This was a follow on from that, unfortunately.
The unique, incredible union is born of the Unionist catechism. I find it facile and self-justifying.
Wearing my heart on my sleeve, i know, but that’s what we writers are supposed to do, i believe.
cheers,
Jim x
Interestingly, I thought it read more like prose, too. As for politicians it’s a case of choosing the least worst (if there are any) Enjoyed it, though.
Cheers, mate…
And you are so right about selecting politicians…
Jim
Hi Trevor,
I suspect we’re on different sides of the political divide, yet liberal enough to metaphorically clasp hands nonetheless… I’m married to an English woman and spent 23 years in the RN, living cheek by jowl with Englishmen, yet still cannot claim to know the English. We are definitely two separate races though. And you know of course that Shakespeare was an anglesized Scot? From Castlemilk I believe…
cheers,
Jim
Nah, Shakespeare was Welsh.