by B. R. GOWANI
Craft row past St. Paul’s Cathedral in a 1747 painting by Venetian artist Canaletto entitled “London: The Thames on Lord Mayor’s Day”. Below, Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond River Jubilee pageant on June 3, 2012. PHOTO/HANDOUT/Reuters/The Globe and Mail
Past
Britain’s huge appetite for greed
forced many blacks and browns to cede
the Empire spread far and wide
and so the Sun never set or died
Present
alas! glory is no more thy fate
the days now are in dire strait
even on Jubilee, the Sun was shy
and at times London was not dry
to the British royals, a salute
for their hereditary skills to loot
it’s not at all an easy task
to put on a life-long mask
the news media, of ethics bereft
celebrated with shameless zest
for the masses, media is deceased
because now it’s the corporate beast
Future
when Charles’ turn came to be the king
he was well past the prime of his spring
so William was handed the regal baton
but by then Britain took a collective yawn
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com