Manc-Union
I see solidarity
Painted on a brick wall.
Shining on children's
Faces, waving handwritten
Placards with heartfelt
Messages - written in
Simplicity, a cry for
Solidarity and a stance
Of community, of brotherhood
And sisterhood and neighbourhood.
Upon bended knee with heads bowed
In peace, in silence, in empathy.
In harmony, in prayer, in communion
In a one-ness, a shared sense of
Union and we're all one people
From the mosque hall to the church
Steeple, the synagogue and temple
The school, the office blocks,
The tower blocks, the canteen,
The bus stops and street scenes.
The everyday, the everyman, woman
And child carrying on their daily-ness.
A pride in place, a pride in their own.
A pride in identity, a pride in not feeling
Alone, but part of a family, a fellowship,
A membership without fees.
A come and go and do as you please;
But, first and foremost, whether
Black or white or Asian,
Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Christian,
Or someone who proclaims no faith.
We welcome all who practice love
And kindness and compassion.
And treat everyone with
Equality, acceptance, kinship.
Say it loud and proud and
Call for unity, tolerance, respect,
But yet, there are those
Who would deface a message
Of peace and hope and togetherness.
In the singularity of nighttime,
The anonymity of darkness.
The cloak of cowardice who
Would shield their face
For fear of discovery and
Shame and disgrace.
And what the xxxx are you
Up to, we won't stand for this,
You odious, offensive, obnoxious scrote -
We saw you and your brave tin of spray paint
And what you wrote on that wall.
Probably just the same as you posted on
Twitter in all your anger and rage aimed at a young
Black, inspirational, dedicated, compassionate
Footballer who decided to effect change for the good
Of the poorest in society, those falling through the gaps.
Angry that he failed to kick a ball into a net...
Yet, you'll see that solidarity is a common voice.
A group-cry, a cacophony of goodness,
A stentorian roar of kindness and love and
Respect for one, for all, for neighbour and friend.
For the old boy Sid, lives on his tod at the end of the
Road, and the young Mum, Tina, couple of kids
Who was so tired with a headache, ready to explode
But she and the kiddies wouldn't have missed
This for the world.
They were all there, every creed and colour,
I saw Afro-Caribbean, I saw Arab and Indian
I saw Bengali, Pakistani, Afghan, Iranian and
Vietnamese and Chinese, Mexican and Columbian
And Irish and Czech, Polish and Romanian
And Portuguese, French and Italian
And British - black, white, brown, every hue
But all Mancunian. They were there,
Every boy and girl, a world by a wonder wall -
A mural to a 23 year old who some racist bigot
Told to be quiet, because he was black.
Because his missed his pen. Kick him
While he's down, he cost us the cup,
The trophy, the title, which makes you think
You're entitled to hurl abuse from a
A Twitter keyboard and a tin of paint.
But no. The community rallied
And once again, showed the world
Manchester, had an answer for
The racists and idiots. Yes, Manchester
Again, rose up in support of one of its sons
And they won't ever have to pretend
How proud they are of that one, ar kid, ar
Marcus Rashford, he were from round 'ere
Yeah, racists, you can do one.
He's one of us, and always will be.
Written in the aftermath of England's defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020(2021) final. Yes, it hurt to lose, but not as much as the vilification and abuse aimed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka - for having the temerity to miss a penalty kick. And because they were back this somehow made it worse for the vocal minority of bigots and racists. The defacing of a mural to Rashford, who has done so much good for the children of the UK, a shining light and role model. was the final straw. The outpouring of love and support and 'not in my name' was heart-warming.
Be kind always. Skin is skin, colour is colour. We are all people, we can all be kind.
