timeless
Extinction
By Jackie Kay
We closed the borders , folks , we nailed it . No trees , no plants , no immigrants . No foreign nurses , no Doctors ; we smashed it . We took control of our affairs . No fresh air . No birds , no bees , no HIV , no Poles , no pollen . No pandas , no polar bears , no ice , no dice . No rainforests , no foraging , no France . No frogs , no golden toads , no Harlequins . No Greens , no Brussels , no vegetarians , no lesbians . No carbon curbed emissions , no CO2 questions . No lions , no tigers , no bears . No BBC picked audience . No loony lefties , please . No politically correct classes . No classes . No Guardian readers . No readers . No emus , no EUs , no Eco warriors , no Euros . No rhinos , no zebras , no burnt bras , no elephants . We shut it down ! No immigrants , no immigrants . No snivelling-recycling-global-warming nutters . Little man , little woman , the world is a dangerous place . Now , pour me a pint , dear . Get out of my fracking face .
JACKIE KAY is a Scottish-born poet who has published five collections of poetry for adults , and several for children . The Adoption Papers won the Forward Prize , a Saltire Award and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award .