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For 'England'

A Poem by Dr Edward Loveman

Silencing whistles, hush, quiet

then, benighted performances

begin, bordering belonging --

A voice cuts through pandemonium

"Yes, God, England, Jesus come on."

 

Declarations of allegiance

(re)enforce social hierarchies

securing assumed Englishness

mimicking accents, just 'joking'

"Zee za die Deutschland, du piss off."

 

Lull in play, momentary pause

surrounded by symbols of St George

'our' saint born Cappadocia, Türkiye

contradiction ignored, howling

"Crusaders! go to holy war."

 

Proud of your divine nation, sing

hope and glory, celebrating

empire, industry, slavery.

Legitimate patriotism?

"(Screaming) Long live our noble King."

 

Replenish, clink bottles, no thoughts

of journeys, histories, labors

from hops to beer, hybrid, global

no, just hangover guarantees

"Two sips for each 'fitty' you see."

 

Governors of identity

what is feminine, masculine

White, multiple layers involved.

A platform for hatred hidden

"That horrible Sturgeon woman."

 

Game on the line, us versus them.

Via active unawareness

viewers motivated desire

for inclusion means othering

"Ugh their cornrows, tattoos, and skin."

 

Naïve enactments of Englishness.

Intolerance to difference

ceases in your support of sport?

Stay comfortable believing this

"They are the problem, them, not me.”

A Statement by Dr Edward Loveman on his process

For ‘England,' is a poem (which has also been performed as spoken word) that tells an ironic story of nostalgic love for a fictional identity. It is based on my recent short-term sensory ethnographic research which used a ‘Goggle-Box’ method to capture the emplaced experience of audiences watching major sporting events. Each stanza speaks to the way in which social hierarchies were (re)defined, (re)produced, and (re)enforced without necessarily recognising the inequities to which behaviour, ideology, and language was attached. Though not composed of couplets, the poem is inspired by the Gazhal tradition of invoking melancholy, love, and longing, to create a sardonic ‘ode’ of patriotism that reflects the juxtaposition of playful ridiculousness and harmful seriousness of celebrating nationhood.

Back to BoundBy: Summer '24 (Edition #09)

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