Happy St George’s Day!

[erastes]

Come on, government, make it a National Holiday will you?  Why are we so scared of claiming something ENGLISH? Why are we so worried about offending everyone else with the St George’s flag that we end up almost offending ourselves, and harbouring feelings of guilt that if we proudly wave our own nation’s flag we are seen to be Doc Marten wearing racists?  The Scottish and Welsh are allowed to be proudly nationalistic, so it’s about time we stopped being stupid and claimed the flag for what it stands for, and not the perception of what bigots have made of it. We’ve lost so much of our English heritage and folk-lore and traditions, it’s about time we started bringing them back. (and yes, I know St George wasn’t English, but one works with the material one has.)

So – as it’s Shakespeare’s (assumed) birthday and death day – here’s a sonnet. Some of you will have read it before, but there’s a lot of new people here!

Enjoy!

Thou ‘minds me, love, of nothing more than autumn;
a grey November dull with sullen mists.
That vacuum secret month, when senses grow numb,
but yet this taboo spark for thee exists.
When in thy presence something overtakes me,
an acid etchéd line ‘twixt want and hate;
compulsion both to hex thee and to kiss thee,
to strike thee down and take thee to my mate.
Other hands than thine have made me harden,
other lips than thine have touched this skin,
so why should I attempt to seek thy pardon,
when other lips fulfil what you begin?
So sneer sweet enemy, on with this vendetta,
It makes me love thee, and to hate thee better.