Our England

My England is red brick houses      
on terraced streets      
its football fields      
council flats      
chiniese chippies      
and pizza shops      
this is my England      
parks and lakes      
hills and trees      
summer highs of 12 degrees      
this is our England      
     
England is ours      
each and every one of us      
whether you are Muslim atheist Christian or Jew      
this great land belongs to you      
black white      
one of a million different shades of brown      
you own the schools the streets the towns      
     
This is a land where greatness grows      
a collaboration of differences      
living as one      
under England's sovereign laws      
this is my England      
     
My England may be less than perfect      
our rich and colourful history      
is in parts, i'm sure quite chequered      
with more troubles bound upon the way      
we together make this England      
we who stand here today      
not divided by politics colour class or gender      
for division has its own agenda      
together we can mend our country      
and honour our less than perfect past      
     
Our summers may last a fortnight      
it may rain more days than not      
our heroes who now fall from favour      
we the people have not forgot      
the bells of empire they ring no more      
still our mighty lion roars      
     
Sure we feel the lure of foreign lands      
of sun drenched beaches with golden sands      
but the English rose knows wind and snow      
and in English soil she grows      
this place is home      
this little land      
this place is ours  
our England      
     
By Danny Carr