Fractured City

I walk along on cracked paving stones in a fractured city

With feelings of sadness and anxiety, yet I try to be witty

When asked for my opinion on a political topic,

Despite fears that our future will be fraught and dystopic.

It’s hard to be optimistic with people sleeping on the street,

Ragged clothes on their shoulders, cups of change by bare feet

Discarded by a failing society of the elite

In nylon rubbish bags on a concrete trash heap.

While our attention is focused on nostalgic ideas

Of going back to blue passports and “cheerio, my dears,”

We’re missing problems at home, we should look at ourselves

Before casting blame on migrants or refugees or elves

Or whatever other magical, mystical scapegoat we find,

When it comes to our own faults we seem to be blind.

So if we’re ever to repair this damage that we’ve done

We need to stand and be counted and united as one,

Rebuild and regrow what once was abundant,

Beauty and friendships and all that seems redundant

In this world of “us and them” and he who has more

Where the little guy loses, this can’t be what’s in store

For my children and yours, the next generation,

Let’s not have our nation end up in isolation.