Poetry – Green Pantoum – John Phillips

A pantoum is a poetic structure. Here John uses it to expose how politicians and big business conspire to put profit before nature.

 

   Green Pantoum

 

In England s rain-swept, green and pleasant land

Where being green is very hard to be

As many choose to fail to understand

And thus evade responsibility.

 

Where being green is very hard to be

When politics and industry conspire

And thus, evade responsibility

To profit and to furnish their desires.

 

When politics and industry conspire,

Misrepresent the facts to power their game

To profit and to furnish their desires

Deny the truth and so apportion blame.

 

Misrepresent the facts to power their game

As many choose to fail to understand

Deny the truth and so apportion blame

In England s rain-swept green and pleasant land