Light Switch

The shining sun, around which all the planets run,

Has suddenly gone out, though long predicted by the wise,

And even ordinary folk.

Yet still it's met with shock and some surprise,

As if the darkness were not normal -

An expected consequence of time and tide.

When daily we awake, we do not gasp amazed by light,

A light that makes the day and brings all colour out,

But what if at six o'clock, form failed to coalesce,

And nothing brightened, nothing came to life?

Then we'd be shocked and struggle to comprehend

What had occurred - the breaking of some fundamental law,

By which the every moment of our lives relied, 

Something on which we all sub-consciously depend.

For seventy years the sun came up, the sun went down,

The seasons came and went,

But still it was relied upon, a given in god's scheme of things,

The glow in heaven's gate.

Not now it shines, instead on catafalque of state,

It rests the centre of a cosmos, dead, 

It's spirit flown to some other place unknown,

To which a multitude file past in silent tribute,

Not really knowing what drives them there,

Or where their destination is, unled,

Adjusting to their common fate, devoid of central star.

Yesterday, I think I over-dosed (with everyone else) on death and pageantry, all designed to bolster the unity of and support for, the State, in all its intricate workings. How clever to turn an immense bureaucracy into an intimate personal soap, to which people can relate as if it were their own family, ensuring it is so well financed and serviced so as to make it a sort of aspirational goal for everyone? Monarchy, with its roots in the mythical and romantic past, is maintained because it adds glamour and style to the otherwise grimy world of politics and finance. It is important that the Queen or King are kept well clear of sexual or any other form of scandal, but as we know that has not always been easy or possible. There is no doubt the late Queen had a very special sort of constitution that managed the role well. She was essentially a pragmatist who realised human nature was what it was, that the world is as it is, that the continuance of the ancient regal role was dependent on a certain style and behaviour which happily coincided with her own. In contrast to her husband, she prized continuity above ingenuity and 'progress'. In contrast to her son, she saw no reason to be despondent or depressed by the state of the world. She had the Nelson knack of 'turning a blind eye' to what did not accord with her optimistic world view. As long as she was surrounded by dogs, horses, wild landscape, true friends and a loyal nation, she was content. The affection in which she was held was genuine but no one should be blind to the way it and the whole panoply of the State Funeral - effectively a glamourized death ritual - and succession fits into the complicated business of state craft, where many ogres lurk and secrecy reigns supreme. The nation willingly gave itself up to mass mourning bordering on an irrational jingoism, that usefully distracted from foreign wars, excessive inflation, homelessness, food banks, immigration, race riots, child exploitation, corruption, pollution, a declining importance in the world and all the other evils of the modern age.  How long that rainbow shines over Windsor and Westminster, remains to be seen.

In reply to Russel Brand here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS1ywMKFxno

Tim Veater

1 second ago

A pretty good summation of some of the psychological, philosophical and political issues revealed in and by the funeral of a British Queen. It's deep and very complicated. When we look at a building we do not necessarily see it as representative of mind, of ideas in their historical setting, but of course they are. As you say, the Queen was the embodiment of abstract ideas and ideals, part King Arthur, part a second Elizabeth, part Pope, part Virgin Mary, in some of the oldest physical structures in the country. It is impossible to detach monarchy from all the historical events that created it in its present form. Undoubtedly there was a genuine two-way emotional relationship between Queen and people but we should not underestimate how this was achieved by a sustained and coordinated effort over decades, so people are led to believe they had a personal knowing relationship, when in fact they didn't. Monarchy survived in previous generations in spite of the personal characteristics of the holder. In Elizabeth II case she managed to enhance it by dint of effort. Britain is certainly a very different place at the end of her reign, than at the start of Victoria's. Then Britain literally ruled the waves and a third of the land surface. But on a much more complicated level it is different psychologically. In both areas the funeral reflected a remnant. Ironically the new King, in stark contrast to his father but not his mother, harks back to a former age. Time will tell whether this endears him to the public or distances him. Much depends on how powerful financial and commercial interests portray him. You do quite well in reminding people what this might mean in practical terms but sometimes these are too painful to contemplate.