A poem prompted by a conversation on the Financial Times blog. Those of you that have travelled a lot will know what I’m trying to say. There are references to Karl Marx, the fact that many people were excluded from voting in the referendum debacle, the bureaucracy that we face at non-EU borders, and Trump Magamania (Maga = Make America Great Again).
Citizens of Nowhere
Citizens of Nowhere, unite!
You have nothing to use but your brains
There are things in this world for which you should fight
And others which just boil the blood in your veins
Let the Citizens of Somewhere rejoice
At least their opinions will be given a voice!
Citizens of Nowhere, resist!
A fight is not futile that tears down fences
There are people in this world condemned to subsist
Until their compatriots come to their senses
Citizens of Somewhere, take heed
All human beings are not of your creed!
Citizens of Nowhere, arise!
Stand up for that which you know to be right
What you have experienced with your own eyes
Is beyond the range of one nation’s sight
Let Citizens of Somewhere be proud
Of the martial music that you find too loud!
Citizens of Nowhere, react!
Your place of birth should have no meaning
There are facts of your life which may not be exact
Whose revelation should be seen as demeaning
Citizens of Somewhere who pose those questions
Should be begged to provide better suggestions!
Citizens of Nowhere, your cause
Though not obvious is increasingly clear
Good deeds may not gain universal applause
Even from a culture that you now hold dear
As the force of Citizens of Somewhere degrades
You may be subject to abusive tirades!
Citizens of Nowhere, accept!
You may now have only knowledge to gain
There are strange habits which you must respect
In a country wherein you choose to remain
Let the Citizens of Somewhere again feel great
Even though you know it’s already too late!