London’s Burning Bright

Poetry — By Mark Davidson on August 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

The police shoot. Man down.
Anger and misinformation abound
Facebook, BBM, Soon flash mobs mob
They Smash and grab. Raze and rob
Trainers and TVs. It’s what they need.
Never mind jobs to find or mouths to feed
Some young souls set the place alight
London’s Burning Bright.

One year later. A different place?
Too much money? Can we hack the pace?
We see a land. So pleasant. So green.
Give way to a revolution. Then Queen and Bean.
We love the NHS!* That Bonkers song…
Sir Steve Redgrave? The torch is passed on
Some young souls set the place alight
London’s Burning Bright.

*Author’s Note: The NHS is the “National Health Service” in the UK. It’s provided free healthcare to all UK citizens since 1948. Its inclusion in the opening ceremony shows how important it is considered to British identity.