After the Riots

109 words

[1]“There will always be the English.” Raj said.
I replied “No, there will always have been
The English, but that’s gone now. England’s dead . . .
And with it, the English”. Raj said “I meant
The idea of Englishness will always
Be.” “The idea?” I asked, “What’s the idea?
That there was a real Englishness? These days
When I make statements like that it’s called a
Hate crime, or sometimes something worse than one.”
“That’s insane, who can talk with you when you
Trot out those BNP opinions
And skinhead tripe?” I didn’t bother to
Waste any more breath; Raj will never see:
English was what only English could be.