—
Britannia went down to the social
took her kids and asked for some bread
told there’d be money in five weeks time
went home and strangled them dead.
Britannia got zero from zero hours,
her landlord demanded the rent,
evicted her when she couldn’t pay,
so Britannia went out on the street.
Brittania begged outside Tescos,
asking for coins from the shoppers;
too cold to sleep on the pavement
blasted the lot on some uppers.
Britannia went down to the social
and threw a brick through its glass,
swore at the people who worked there,
shrieked at the ones who walked past.
Britannia convicted of vandalism,
banged up for not paying the fine;
she hanged in her cell, but so what?
People do that here all the time.
Rule Britannia , Britannia rules the waves
Britons never never never shall be slaves
Ruth Aylett
Illustration: Claire Palmer