Did we really surrender
The rock, our roots,
The purple passions
That meant so much
Too soon?
Did we come down from the trees,
Leave the mesmeric cave paintings
To race into the ether future
Too quickly?
Did we first desert,
Then crucify, those that
Had been our magnificent heroes:
The blacks, the blues, the pinks,
The mean and moody intransigents,
Those that were bitter and
Those that were mild
To comfortably readily?
Did we stop yelling questions, stop
Believing that we would live forever,
Lower the rebel colours,
The volume-threshold levels
Too rapidly?
Did we, worst of all:
Give up resistance,
Shape our lips, teeth and tongues
Around the well-paid gag-bit
Too comfortably hastily?
Did none of us,
Even for the tiniest
Fraction of a moment,
Realise there would be
Hell To Pay ?
24/3/2013
