Merger

by David Constantine

And in that year, shortly before Remembrance Day
Came the merger of the res publica and the cloaca maxima.
You know it makes sense, said the Leader
And flooded the airways with his soundest men.
Their task? To explain to the ‘Electorate’
(Quaint term  y the hour becoming quainter)
The benefits. Transparency, for example. And how effortful
Had been the keeping of the two vital zones apart. Vast saving
Of energy when saving energy
Was every citizen’s duty. Quite soon, the spokesmen said
We shall be used to the stench and in the brown stuff itself
Shall dig for victory, grow our own, stand tall
And utterly dishearten our competitors.