What If Poem by Theo Williams

Magna Carta 1215[1]
Granted rights to the Church in England
And nobility signed by King John
The launch of British democracy
What if history was drawn?
By the so called leaders of this aristocracy [2]

Why did bishops, abbots, peers
Two knights from e'ery shire
And two representatives from each town
Meet to create the model parliament [3] at hand?
When in history the system was not upside down
And the Common Law [4] was recognised as the law-of-land.

What if no one had believed Mohammed? [5]
When he climbed off the Mecca Mountain
Would we still live the dark ages?
‘Cause Muslim empire would preserve the teachings
Of Roman-Greco antiquity in early stages
Thus no crusades for Europe to forge social leeching.

During the civil rights movement (1955-1968) [6]
If black African-Americans were not oppressed by white
Would this world see more racial dignity?
No reason for wars or fights
Or would this world still find the hate
No peace or happiness to correlate?

What if race and ethnicity was not an issue
Would this world be in harmony?
Or would the conflict always continue
A seemed lack of political apathy
What if any race or colour was able to smile
At anyone without being judgementally trialled?

What if Malcolm X [7] didn't kneel before the leader of Islam? [8]
Would black Americans proceed to have no rights?
If he were not starting to be minister and activist
Would we still see blacks bowing to children of white?
Or the segregation amongst us be of a political Baptist
What if? - is the question that remains so quiet.

How does a document articulate freedom?
Shouldn't e'ery human be born with that trait?
Instead of Martin Luther King [9] dreaming a dream
To rid the world of racial hate
The emancipation proclamation Luther signed [10]
Gave hope to millions of chained Negro slaves
Who were entwined in injustice of the systems mind
Seared in flames of inequity sending them to graves.

But even one hundred years later
The Negro is still bound
By the chains of discrimination
The manacles of segregation has found
Negro's isolated on an island of poverty
Drowning in the vast ocean of material prosperity.


What if Governments didn't wield the sceptre of deceit?
Like when President McKinley told his people [11]
That the USS Maine was a victimised fleet
Of Spanish mines - thus Americans supported
The American Spanish war, the country all contorted
By the lies of political figures
When the Captain of USS Maine reported
The ship had sunk from an explosion
From a coal bin - then investigations sought no mine
The government inside our heads
Like the horse of Trojan.

Hitler also wielded this fraudulent weapon [12]
To his own people to initiate the invasion
Telling Germany that Poland had attack first - He imprudently beckoned
Germans then thought they had been threatened
And followed Hitler into the war in Poland.

'Pearl Harbour a surprise attack! ' The FDR claimed [13]
But it was ‘cause the US saw war with Japan
To get into war with Germany - which Americans disagreed
Roosevelt then illusively provoked Japan to attack first
After an 8-step plan of Naval Intelligence
Tricked by the propaganda of surprise
Americans marched off to the war
Created by Government lies.

Gulf of Tonkin - President Johnson's lie [14]
To send Americans to the Vietnam War
There were no torpedoes in the water in the gulf - why?
Would anyone in a right state of their mind
Would want to wield this weapon to start conflict
But LBJ then took advantage of a sonar man's report
To prod Congress into escalating the war
A war they mendaciously fought.

What if this legion of deceit
Did not exist as of government
Would the world be at peace?
No reason for detriment
Would all nations be fond of each other?
And build a friendship together
Or would we be in this multitude
Of lies forever.

Mahatma Gandhi was a strong figure
That spoke in a British ruled India
Employing non-violent civil disobedience
That led India to its day of independence
'Half-naked fakir' - Winston Churchill claims
A political enemy that uses racial aims
The British trying to execute his rights
But with non-violence he fought a stronger fight
If we are able to wield the weapon of voice
Instead of handling firearms
Would this world be at more rejoice
Or would this just do more harm?

What if our history is just a government lie?
What if space, moon, sun and sky
Does not even exist
But we live in a frontier of deceit
That we try to break free of this repeat
What if these lies are the worst type of cancer?
What if, what if, what if
Is the hardest question to answer.


[1] Magna Carta - May also be known as Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of Liberties of England was a document signed in June 1215 by King John, granting rights to both the Church in England and the nobility. This was considered a very important document in medieval England. - Watkins J [Accessed 3/09/12]

[2] Aristocracy - A form of Government by which power is held by the nobility.

[3] Model Parliament - was the term attributed to Frederic William Maitland (1295) . Was used for the Parliament of England of King Edward the first. This is where bishops, abbots etc. all met in modern format for the first time. - Nash M [Accessed 3/09/12]

[4] Common Law - A legal system which use to be the only system which actually was quite successful. Basically, this system gives great precedential weight to common law, on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different occasions. - Holmes W (et al) [Accessed 3/09/12]
More blatantly, it is just common sense.

[5] Muhammad's First Revelation - A Prophet who had been said to have been visited by the angel, Gabriel who revealed to him a verse from the Qur'an. These events took place atop a mountain in Mecca. After this event he had proclaimed himself to be a prophet of Allah. - Bukhari S [Accessed 3/09/12]

[6] Civil Rights Movement - The time in history (social movement) that took place in the United States to prevent racial discrimination against Negro Americans and restore voting rights to them. Between the time of 1955 and 1968. This was predominantly in South America. Was basically a black power movement to free themselves from oppression from white Americans. - Elizabeth A [Accessed 3/09/12]

[7] Malcolm X - An African American was a Muslim minister and human rights activist. He preached black supremacy. - Haley A [Accessed 3/09/12]

[8] Leader of the Nation Islam - Elijah Muhammad.

[9] Martin Luther King - Another influential black leader whom sought peace amongst blacks and whites and dreamed a dream of no racism or discrimination.

[10] Emancipation Proclamation - executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on Jan 1,1863. This was during the civil war between North and South. Though it was not a law passed by the congress. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states. The proclamation immediately freed 50 000 slaves. - Belz H [Accessed 4/09/12]

[11] President William Mckinley - from 1900. Manipulated the country into the American Spanish war by stating false facts about the sinking of the USS Maine. - Armstrong P [Accessed 4/09/12]

[12] Adolf Hitler - Well I'm sure we all know Hitler but for those who don't know (unlikely) was an Austrian born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, which is commonly known as the Nazi party. Hitler was the founding of Nazism, the start of World War 2 and the holocaust. Olgreg B [Accessed 4/09/12]

[13] Pearl Harbour Attack - Was supposedly a 'surprise' attack led by the Japanese upon the stationed fleet in Pearl Harbour, but what many don't know is the 'surprise' was in fact a government led lie.

[14] President Johnson - Lyndon Baines Johnson (A.K.A LBJ) was the 36th president of United States. Was the reason for the escalated involvement of America in the Vietnam War.