Leave The Queen Alone! Poem by Frank Bana

People, leave the Queen alone.
Did she do you any harm?
Unintentional it was, I'm sure.
Are you a tax contributor?
The squad in Basra probably cost more
Last year than her entire brood did
Horses, dogs and sons included.

She's been up there all through my life
Guarding the oral constitution
Reminding me of my dear old Mum
Keeping a united Kingdom
Staring out abstractly from
The coins of daily transaction.

She's seen the PMs come and go
Shown them their place and put them there
Even budding authoritarians
Got nothing more than a distant stare
Maggie, for one, kissed her hands
Backed off, humbled and resigned
Turned and ran home anxiously
To invite dictators for cake and tea.

Now I don't stay up wondering
Who Elizabeth truly is
(Or whether Shakespeare was Shakespeare
Or some other kind of genius)
Who she thought she might become
When she was innocent and young
Or if she laughs on winter nights
With Phil the Greek and Elton John

She's Queen, that's all I care about
Sitting there, portrait-like
Smiling in all her galleries
Upon new dukes and citizens
Seeing us through long dark years
Waving tirelessly through our tears
And at the new Millennium

She knows just what she has to say
The words to use, the time of day
Squatting like a paperweight
So my bill of rights won't blow away
And it's long hours, must be hard work
Being nothing but a Queen
There aren't too many breaks
That you can take behind the scenes

So let's admire the dramatic skills
She's practised to perfection
The fine suspension of belief
That ensures her warm reception
She's growing old and must be tired
Leave her to rest in bed
Say a prayer for Liz, and thank your stars
She's not a President instead.