The Lecturer's Tale

[Leanne]

'What did you do in the riots, Dad?'

'I'm not mad --I stayed home
and looked after Mum;
Just like all the rest'

'What did you do in the riots, Bruv?'

I was engaged in a beautiful
thing with Kates, Up West
An other-worldly act of love'

'What did you do that week, Sonny?'

' I was-- I was -- on a sleep-over;
Yes -with one of my mates,
Everything was quiet. Funny; but -

Speaker, what did you do ?'

'Me, I gave the Capitalist bastards a bloody nose!
And what is more, to serve the buggers right,
I nicked a few of those!'

This is quite an appropriate update of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, given the direction culture seems to have gone during recent events. I very much like the way the Speaker is drawn directly into the conclusion, and in contrast to Sonny, quite unashamedly announces his involvement (and uses that wonderfully cliched reason for it as well -- Capitalist bastards! Nothing materialistic about grabbing a 42 inch telly...)