Welcome to the City of Shangri-La
by and published in Edition Two of Pomegranate
Where bright blooms cascade
beside perfect pools; ladies
pretty in pink sip
pina colada
whilst husbands, safely ensconced
in glass tower blocks,
achieve harmony
in the economy just
before five o’clock.
Where couples inside
ornate boxes watch operas
and children dream schemes
to help the needy
(not that anyone is ill
or poor or depressed).
Where everyone fits
like pieces in a puzzle:
snug bugs in suburbs.
Where everyone can
do anything except break
the law that protects
this Utopia
from unknown, evil forces;
from all the nightmares
the perfect people
cannot dream; dolls sleep heavy.
Amid neat hedgerows,
the citizens choke
on freedom like dogs on rats
too big for their jaws.
Emily Middleton
Emily Middleton lives in Buxton (where the water comes from), and spends her spare time trying to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and children’s rights as well as writing poetry and partying (it’s not all serious!). She had the good fortune to meet all the lovely Pomegranate people on the Foyle 2005 and 2006 winners’ Arvon courses. She was also a 15-19 winner of the Peterloo Poets competition 2007. She is applying to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at uni next year.