Twopenneth Worth
“The image of Britannia, which has featured on British coin for hundreds of years, is to be retired.”
– The Changing Times
Britannia ! Oh, what have they done to you ?
Firstly they dressed you in helmet and armour,
And decked you with shield and trident and lion –
An overlord lady, the Empire’s scion.
Then they decided your tenure was through –
If only they’d made you a doctor or farmer,
A lawyer, a teacher, a builder or nurse:
These are the women who should fill our purse.
Britannia ! Oh, they reject you unduly,
Now you have many more forms to acquire –
Indian, African, Asian and Arab,
Mediterranean, Saxon and Carib –
These are your Britons, Britannia, truly,
These are your faces and flowing attire.
These are your spirit, that we may unlock it,
And gather your virtues right here in our pocket.
Rhyming Couplets 