Sex Pistols--We Are All Punks!, a poem by George Fish

                           

            Sex Pistols—We Are All Punks!
    by George Fish

No, God won’t save the Queen   Though David Cameron

might try to   before he gets his proper comeuppance

from an outraged public that finally wakes up to the fact

that it got hoodwinked   even of its own willful blindness

and volition   But Johnny Rotten sang it well and properly,

“We’re your future!”   whether you like it or not  

In the ‘60s we shouted, “We are all Vietnamese!”   In the

‘80s and ‘90s we were all punks   In 2015 we are outcasts,

low-wage robots who work our asses off and can’t make a living

Yes, we are Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Arthur Wilson and

Tamir Rice   and also Bernie Sanders, John Brown and

Eugene Debs   'cause we know you can be old at 25 and young

at 75   it’s a matter of an open mind and open heart   No we’re not “pretty/pretty vacant/and we don’t care”   we care deeply   so we

thank Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Paul Cook and Steve Jones  

The Sex Pistols   for talking to, for and at us   we are punks   and Vietnamese   and Chinese factory workers (not Chinese bigwigs) 

and African American   and Palestinian   and Egyptian   and

Honduran   and Venezuelan   and just plain illegal   everywhere

We are oppressed   and we stand with all oppressed   and all

fighting back against oppression 

No, we’re not “pretty/pretty vacant”   and we do care   one helluva lot

Bio: George Fish is an Indiana freelance journalist and poet whose work has appeared in several national and regional publications and websites, especially those of left and alternative publications. He has been described as "knowledgeable in an unusual variety of fields." In addition to short stories and poems, Fish has also published extensively on economics and politics; popular music, especially blues; and humor. He also does Lenny Bruce/George Carlin-inspired stand-up comedy.

Editor's note: It was in October 1976 when the Sex Pistols recorded "God Save the Queen." To hear the song, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02D2T3wGCYg