Greg Freeman

Jubilee

by Greg Freeman

Thursday 11th December 2014 9:53 am (first posted Tuesday 22nd May 2012 9:26 am)

Two ladies, late eighties: one flicking

the pages of Majesty magazine

to pass the time, but still a believer;

the other preparing to sail down

the Thames in a royal barge.

Yachts, palaces, castles, state visits,

breakfast cereal in Tupperware cartons.

Happy holidays in the Isles of Scilly,

bereavement, confusion, incontinence.

One paid her care home fees by selling

her flat. The other, her son the prince

of toytown, her voice like the last squawk

of a game bird shot down in flight,

is still being looked after at home.

jubilee monarchy Queen

◄ The cruet set

Gentler pleasures ►

Comments

Greg Freeman

Thu 13th Sep 2012 10:30

Funnily enough, I have recently read Paul Farley's The Queen, David - I bought his collection at the same place I got hold of your latest, at the poetry book fair last weekend. Farley's poem is much more even-handed and has a wonderful last line! This was put together in haste and anger, and maybe partly to get a debate started on Write Out Loud. Poetic graffiti, I'd call it.

David Cooke

Thu 13th Sep 2012 09:57

Only problem I have is with 'fingering' which is a bit awkward in this context. Have you seen Paul Farley's poem 'The Queen' in his new collection The Dark Film? If not, I think you'd enjoy it, Greg.

shadwell smith

Sat 9th Jun 2012 13:28

It's difficult to write about the royals without strapping on bells below the knee and Morris dancing your way around the subject. It’s all been done before – again and again and again. You either end up reading some appalling sycophantic tribute from a latter-day Norman St John Stevas, or you get the inevitable cynical tag line.
I’m not a fan of the royals, but I think you could equally add an extra last line to your poem –a prisoner in a gilded cage.

Poor woman. There’s never any possibility of slipping out of the pantomime costume to do a bit of shopping at Tescos.

As for the poem. I like it. Your first line break is thought-provoking! S3 I like a lot. A strong finish. Nice one.

Caveat –

S2 to doesn’t quite cohere as well as it might? L1 is a list of all things royal, but L2 finishes off the same sentence with “breakfast cereal in Tupperware.” Does the queen eat like that? If so, I’m appalled! If it's a transition into the other little old lady, then I don’t think it should be sitting in that sentence.

Easy target. Difficult to be fresh. Well written, I think.

M.C. Newberry

Thu 24th May 2012 16:19

Ray/Julian - I've been to Dachau...and I found it a worthwhile thing to do. And I paid something along the way and was glad to do so...for other reasons than contempt or admiration. If there is no free lunch then I'd prefer to pay towards that which brings something positive to this country and I will continue to enjoy watching and listening to the crowds of foreign visitors that throng the streets of my city, clearly in thrall to the story and the history that UK Royalty represents. We love to knock success and fame (unlike the Yanks in their republic) but shouldn't we be taking heed of the reasons why others have such regard for what this country has to offer in this respect - and why a country like Spain decides to reinstate its own royal family?

Ray Miller

Thu 24th May 2012 14:41

Auschwitz brings in the tourists. So did Bedlam.There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Julian (Admin)

Thu 24th May 2012 14:08

So she brings in the tourists? Fine, let's set her up as a tourism company and let's make sure Ma'am PLC is not subsidised but has to make a profit or die. Just as everything else is supposed to do under the Tories; except the nuclear industry, of course, as we need the plutonium for weapons. For defence, as the War Office was euphemistically renamed.

Isobel

Wed 23rd May 2012 19:55

I think the problems facing our society go far deeper than issues with class. I think class systems exist in all countries - they just manifest themselves in different ways. It's easy to point a finger at someone riding along in a gold coach with horses and footmen...

I lived in Australia for a period of time. I fondly imagined there was no class system before I went there. The class system exists in where you send your child to school - the state system being held in very poor regard. Professional people tend to send their children to private schools and really fork out for it. That's fine if you have one or two - not so fine if you have an army... And don't believe that the 'old school tie' system only operates in England - it operates abroad also.

I've come to the conclusion that life can be shit wherever you are - that inequality exists - you just have to learn to deal with it. Being happy in your own skin - learning to love yourself, to love your own accent - you can't put a price on that. Confidence is so important - if you can acquire that - give it to your kids - it will comfortably take them into any class and any society.

M.C. Newberry

Wed 23rd May 2012 16:32

Laura - perhaps you might wish to volunteer
to run stats. on how many come to the UK as a
result of historical royal connections and the undoubted popularity of Wills & Kate - the future face of the monarchy. I'll wager that
hordes of holiday-makers are drawn here by the
existence of the above and spend their money.
And you shouldn't forget the behind the scenes
ongoing connections - with HM very much the linchpin - between this and other countries that ensure the continuance of good relations
beyond "politics" - and resulting profitable trade. The Commonwealth comprises of 60(?)
countries, with others requesting membership.
They WANT HM as their "chief". And why not?
It is not sensible business..cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Ray Miller

Wed 23rd May 2012 14:31

I like it, first two lines are terrific - ladies/eighties/pages.I like the squawking game bird, too.
I'd cut this bit

to pass the time, but still a believer

in monarchy;

and the prince of toytown line. But then the very mention of royalty has me reaching for knives.

Greg Freeman

Wed 23rd May 2012 09:36

Thanks for all the comments. Laura, I'll put you down for the next New Model Army - and maybe Alison,too. Nicely-crafted poem, MC, although there are a lot of arguments you don't include. My poem needs to be worked on to make it as a poem, but I'm glad it's started something (see Ray Miller's fine offering). The royal family is at the top of Britain's pyramid, and if you think that our country's potential is hamstrung by its class system - and I do - then it all starts with them. To adapt Johnny Rotten: "England's still dreaming." On the other hand, you could argue that the royal family is the one thing that unites many of us, and that getting rid of them would expose the divisions in this country even more. I would say, you've got to start somewhere. But if it would mean precipitating another civil war - and it might - then, yes, Isobel, let them have their glittering carriages, if it matters that much to them.

Isobel

Tue 22nd May 2012 19:50

Hmmm - I think you make your point very well in this poem Greg - and that last line is a killer.

I wouldn't put myself as a royalist - but then I'm not a roundhead either. I think old ladies would still have their homes used to offset nursing home costs, whether the royalty were there or not - it's because we are all living so long (thank you NHS) - but I do see the point you are making.

I quite like the Englishness of the whole monarchy thing - it differentiates us from much of the rest of the world - it's quaint. I don't have any statistics on it - but I imagine plenty of tourists are attracted to London, just to see the changing of the guards and because all that pomp and majesty.

I enjoyed the drum but it's not one that I'd bang myself.

Julian (Admin)

Tue 22nd May 2012 18:05

Agreed, but to what avail? They love their queen, Greg. Bizarre, so it is. She did drive that ambulance in the war and her dad stayed in London in the blitz and all.
And she does now pay tax, though why it isn't backdated is a trifle odd.
Nah, MC is quite right, look at what we would lose: er...
I love that Tupperware bit. That reminds just a tad of Tony Walsh's poem, Posh Things.
Excellent.

Laura Taylor

Tue 22nd May 2012 16:15

Got the stats for that MC? All my life I've heard about how the parasites bring in so much money to this country. Go on then, show me, show me how much and where it's being spent. Then give me a comparison as to how much it costs to keep the monarchy in place.

alisonsmiles68@gmail.com

Tue 22nd May 2012 15:17

Completely thrown by the first line fingering reference until I did a double take. I visit an old lady who was born in the same year as the Queen. She lives in a ground floor one bed flat, relies on her neighbours (also elderly) for shopping and if they can't help goes without. She's just gone into respite because social services can't supply her current needs while she's poorly. I hear the sentiment here loud and clear, perhaps because it's been a bit of an emotional day for me with old lady friend. Your poem hit the spot.

M.C. Newberry

Tue 22nd May 2012 14:58

One born to lifetime service in the glare of public life
The other born to humdrum things, someone's
mother, someone's wife.
One admired around the world by nations so diverse
That some are wealthy beyond compare while others clutch their purse.
The other loved by nearer folk with her duty
bound to them
No goldfish bowl existence and no need for the
glittering gem.
One brings in far more money than her family
ever cost
For that alone, if the Crown were replaced,
a lot more would be lost.

Laura Taylor

Tue 22nd May 2012 12:48

Ha - great piece Greg - just DRIPPING with contempt. Right up my street.

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