Weld produces a yellow dye
so it is known as Dyer’s Weed
among other local names –
but forever it will be an alien
in your North American fields …/
Let us forget
their faltering war
of shatterings –
of splinterings
of run-from-shops
blown high-to-dust
by others’ drops
of barrel bombs… /
Robert Richard Rollins –
I was born nineteen thirty-four –
struggled with the name –
El-dwabe …/
Her story will be lost
by this time tomorrow –
Jakelin Ameí
Rosmery Caal Maquin –
even one so sweet –
many names for one
so small …/
They will soon take command
of the scattered pill boxes –
those red brick squatters
sat above river crossings …/
The singing whale
sang canary song
swimming upstream
in the river of kings
…/
Reduce the Brits, take away their tea,
Jaguar, Landrover, and Wedgwood pottery,
all now sold, the last of British treasures,
what is left ‘Great’ to make Britain special?
…/