Flag
by John Agard
Flag
What’s that fluttering in a breeze?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that brings a nation to its knees.
What’s that unfurling from a pole?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that makes the guts of men grow bold.
What’s that rising over a tent?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that dares the coward to relent.
What’s that flying across a field?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that will outlive the blood you bleed.
How can I possess such a cloth?
Just ask for a flag, my friend.
Then blind your conscience to the end.
Copyright: from Half-Caste and Other Poems (Hodder Children's, 2004), © John Agard 2004, used by permission of the author and the publisher.