I seldom hear a thoughtful Briton speak
But he will start complaining of the State:
‘The State is brutal, and the State is weak’,
‘The State is daft, the State is out of date’;
‘The State is mean, the State is anti-joy’,
‘The State is inefficient and unfair’;
‘The State behaves to chaps in its employ
As private firms would not desire-or dare’.
Yet England longs, the same wise people sing,
To see the State run every blessed thing.
March 12,1944
(A P Herbert)
More Poetry from A P Herbert:
- The Ballad of The 'Bluebell' (A P Herbert Poems)
- From The Dug-Out; A Memory of Gallipoli (A P Herbert Poems)
- Crossing The Road (A P Herbert Poems)
- The Battle Of The Headlines (A P Herbert Poems)
- The Harbour (A P Herbert Poems)
- Hymn For Victory (A P Herbert Poems)