Brexit tore a hole in it, the nail the thread caught on and pulled.
Now the sleeves are pulling away, and the buttons popping
with all the strained seams. The collar is frayed and dirty
marked with the sweat of the working classes
while the rich have more shirts they can wear in a single lifetime.
The shirt was once white and blue and red
but now the colours are fading after many washings.
It is tatty from being pulled in many directions.
Unloved, it has not been ironed in many a month,
and now the iron would catch on the holes and rips.
It does not cover anyone’s back. Not now.
.
Angela Topping
.