carnival english style

The procession moved past us
Heaving and jumping
Lights and colours rampant
On a field of smiles

But the smiles were painted on
In classroom colours
Claiming all culture is attuned
To the notion of life, liberty
And the right to bear grins

In place of Hayden, Ellison, Malcolm X
They get plastic wands
And plastic hands
And street bands that play
A wittering insincere salsa
For an eternity

They're told that taking part
Any part any taking
Is better than sitting at home
Watching Emmerdale
And you've been framed

The tellers of this tale
Have never spent a gobbet
of their lives within
The gnarled and goitre'd
register of the brothers grimm

Never smelt the scorched
Vapors of the police assassin
Never shivered under the sullen gaze
Of teenage soldier-boys stoned
And on the make

Nah.

They made Africa simple.
Made it out of coupons, tokens
Things they'd heard at a conference
Stuff they picked up from Graham
The African storyteller
Who came from Rainham

Keep your carnivale
I'll watch you've been framed.
Ironically.