Source: New River Press
On 14 June 2017 afire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, United Kingdom. It caused 72 deaths, including two who later died in hospital. Over 70 others were injured. 223 people escaped. It was the worst residential fire in Britain since the end of the second world war.
THE TOWER OF BABYLON
THE TOWER OF BABYLON IS A BLACK WICKER BASKET
SMOKING INTO THE AZURE OF PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
WHERE THE UNACCOUNTABLE DEAD NO LONGER SPEAK
A THOUSAND LANGUAGES IN A THOUSAND WINDOWS.
THE CONFUSION WAS ONLY EVER BETWEEN TWO LANGUAGES:
THE LANGUAGE OF THE RICH / THE LANGUAGE OF THE POOR.
RICH MOUTHS, POOR EARS, THEY’RE LIKE CHALK AND CHEESE
POOR MOUTHS, RICH EARS, THEY’RE LIKE CHALK AND CHEESE
‘WE WILL CLAD YOUR TOWER IN SUCH A DRESS OF BEAUTY
IT WILL STAND ON THE HORIZON LIKE A CATWALK MODEL’
AND LO! THE UGLY ZIGGURAT THEY BRANDED AN EYESORE
WAS NO LONGER ANATHEMA TO THE HIGH ONES OF BABYLON
‘THANK YOU FOR PRETTIFYING OUR OUT-OF-DATE ZIGGURAT
BUT NOW WE DON’T FEEL 100% SAFE IN OUR OWN HOMES’
AND LO! THE RICH EARS ONLY LISTENED TO RICH MOUTHS
WHILE THE POOR MOUTHS CONTINUED WITH THEIR BABBLE
THE FLAMES OF THE GODS BURNT OFF THE DESIGNER GOWN
AND SPOKE A LANGUAGE NO ONE THERE HAD EVER HEARD
OF HELLS ON EARTH (OF HELLS ON EARTH) NAKED
AND WALLS OF FUME (AND WALLS OF FUME) BARE-FORKED
THE HIGH ONES OF BABYLON RESPOND IN RICH LANGUAGE
BUT NOTHING BUT NOTHING BUT NOTHING IS DONE
POOR MOUTHS WILL TELL THE 24 STOREYS FOREVER
BUT RICH EARS HAVE ALREADY SWITCHED OFF / MOVED ON
THE TOWER OF BABYLON IS A BLACK WICKER BASKET
THE TOWER OF BABYLON IS A BLACK WICKER BASKET
THE TOWER OF BABYLON IS A BLACK WICKER BASKET
THE TOWER OF BABYLON IS A BLACK WICKER BASKET