Poems

Damian Balassone: ‘Canberra’ and ‘Hong Kong Swansong 1997’

Canberra “The king is dead! The king is dead!” confirms the crematorium. Audaciously the mutineers defied the moratorium. There’s laughter in the parliament. There’s dancing in emporiums. His deeds will be confined to pages scribbled in scriptoriums. A puppet-queen will praise his name before an auditorium, and lepers have descended on the toppled king’s praetorium. Damian Balassone Hong Kong Swansong 1997 From eighteen ninety-eight to nineteen ninety-seven the Lady of the Kong consumed the fruits of heaven; but now she bids farewell to British rule … she’s once again the crown in China’s jewel. Damian Balassone

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