There is a lorry parked outside, just by a flower
pot; and whilst I’m arguing online about class
differences, ideologies, lack of revolutionary
zeal, young and black versus white and old,
the lorry is slowly reversing over the pot,
crashing into my neighbour’s house. No time
to stop. I’m busy looking for On Disobedience
in the pile of books due to go to charity shops.
The police and fire brigade are on their way.
There’ll be questions of circumstance, and whether
anybody tried changing the course of events.
My neighbour and I, maybe the driver, would have.
The writer of this account would have
too, though, for centuries, barbarism solved
all our problems by force and violence.
And it has proven to be such a success.
Maria Stadnicka
Illustration: Claire Palmer
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