The hand that carried the coal

She refused to

Shake the hand

That carried the coal

That obscenely fondled the coal

That brandished the coal

Taunting the nation

Embracing fossil fuel

In our blackest hole –

Parliament

She laid down conditions

For shaking the hand

Of the mirthmaker

Of the smirker

Of the loyal servant

Of the big corporations

Whose home still stands

Unlike her own charcoaled decay…

And he turned and walked away.

Nero fiddled for six days

And seven nights while

Rome burned

We’ve been burning for months

So whose crime is greater?

History’s harsh judgement

In flames he has earned.