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.

More about this poem

John is one of the most electrifying readers around, and the energy and dazzle he brings to his performance is matched by the surprise ...

Learn more
Glossary

Explore Similar Poems

Also by John Agard

By Tags

Close