Written piece
The commonwealth garment : A voyage through flags (condensed version)
NEIL MARATHE
United Kingdom
About this piece
I was so inspired by Selina Marsh's poem that I wrote my own version which is a voyage through each of the fifty six member states via their flags.It was hard for me to leave certain countries out for this condensed version but I tried to make it proportional/representative.
Thread
A thread is a tool that will aid us by being used to weave,
And assist in creating our Commonwealth garment sleeve,
On a voyage of the member’s flags shall we now leave.
Take heed, this is but a short selection,
You will find many more on closer inspection,
Due to being confined by the laws of this collection.
Kiribati
Te eitei soars over as the sun sets over the land,
Seventeen rays, seventeen islands
Vitality, courage across coral atolls and sand .
Nauru
The circumnavigation line we cut fine,
A dodecagon of twelve tribes,
To see another day we’re first in line.
Malta
From Normans roots to its own Knights,
Testament to courage and wartime plight,
Red on white forms a pleasant sight.
Jamaica
Through creativity and resilience, we beat adversity,
Lush and evergreen be our enticing natural beauty,
Our collective spirit we have brightness and positivity.
Belize
A mahogany tree into the ground dips,
Two non-identical brothers joined by the hip,
An axe, and a crosscut saw and a sailing ship.
Sri Lanka
A kastane a golden lion wields,
On a teal and orange field,
Four concepts the bo leaves yield.
Botswana
The sky-blue cry for rain is aloud,
But of a multiracial society proud,
While herds of zebra stand the ground.
Cameroon
The south is where the forests remain,
The north where Savannahs lay plain,
All united in the golden star’s red domain.
The Garment.
56 threads used in one mixed garment,
One would think this is sure to fragment,
But we still have a cohesive parliament.
Each thread weaves a different song,
Many full of resonance very strong,
Yet ultimately, we all belong.
We will pass on this baton of embroidery,
To be further sewn by our coming progeny,
All to be held secure together effortlessly.