Sunday 12 September 2010

1469 - On the eve of a trade union conference, Manchester

The coming week sees new battle lines drawn
Or rather, old ones redrawn. The Punic
And the World Wars saw history reborn
And repeated; the Crusades’ dynamic
With Ground Zero as crucible; new sticks
To beat the enemy; Fox News reports
An unknown man who wants to burn some books
And a new mosque two blocks from where black thoughts
Rose yesterday; these conflicts and these wars
Reignite with the spark of markets down
Hard times and exploitation work this trick
In all times and places. Manchester fought
Against the landed gentry at the dawn
Of industry; once more, the unions speak

1 comment:

  1. hurrah! I once was a union maid, who never was afraid ... x

    ReplyDelete