Remember when
From sun drenched summers in middle America
You became fascinated with this cold, grey place
When you searched in a dictionary
To find the meaning of the word “dole”
When you learned about Rock Against Racism
Heard Linton Kwesi Johnson for the first time
And you became nauseous listening to “Sonny’s Lettah”
When “White Riot” was your rallying cry in the streets of NYC in 2003
And then you moved to this “green and pleasant land”
And the lyrics of your favourite band became your reality
And you “queued” and “used the loo” and unconsciously adopted
An occasional Cockney accent, and maybe rhyming slang
Fell in love with a British man, then a woman, then another
Realised you would never be considered “British”
Became a whingeing Londoner
Finally understood what World War Two really meant
As you listened to the stories of homemade air raid shelters
And extreme austerity
Discovered the ceremony of tea and the community it contains
Reclaimed the meaning of “working class” in a place steeped in such
Hearty proletarian tradition
Nursed more than a few pessimistic Trots back to fighting spirit
And talked revolution on the streets of Westminster
Consorted with left wing MPs and protest leaders
And drank with the street alcoholics of Stoke Newington
Attended protest after protest after rally after protest
After rally
Culminating in the largest protest of your life
As if all of the people finally came out to greet their future
In the streets of London
And for all of the despair and hopelessness and grey months
Up rose a desire seldom felt
To never leave this place where you fought for so much
To never leave this beautiful decaying former Empire
To remain on this island and fight
For a better world
