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There will always be one more thing.[1]
A nobleman, a man of God.
His name was George.
He confessed his belief
In the one true God.[2]
Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, and England,
Patron Saint of Georgia, Germany and Greece,
Patron Saint of Lithuania, Moscow and Portugal,
Patron Saint of Romania, and Serbia,
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
A nobleman, a man of God, his name was George.
Somebody says[3] Europe can’t cope
simply can’t cope
with African and Asian refugees.[4]
We’d be over-run,
Patron Saint of Archers.
It’d be too much,
Patron Saint of Cavalry and Cavalrymen.
We’d be ruined,
Patron Saint of Scouts and Soldiers.
We’d be overwhelmed,
Patron Saint of Riders and Saddlers.
We’d be tainted,
Patron Saint of Fencers and Field workers.
We’d be diluted
A noble man, a man of God.
His name was George.
Patron Saint of Ethiopia,
Lebanon,
Palestine,
and Syria,
Somebody says African and Asian men
women
and children
fleeing war
conflict
persecution
climate change
extreme poverty
violence
do so
illegally.
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
He was afflicted with many evils,
But his spirit was not broken.
Somebody says African and Asian refugees
men
women
and children
can’t possibly be human
can only be illegal
criminal
for surviving border zones
deserts
seas
and the jungle,
can’t be human
can only be small boats
for swimming the moat
and scaling the fortress,
can’t be human
for wanting to feel safe
and for wanting to live
breathe
dream
flourish,
and prosper
simply
cannot
can’t be human
He was afflicted with many evils,
But his spirit was not broken.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
Patron Saint of Syria,
Palestine,
Lebanon,
and Ethiopia,
Somebody says Europe can’t cope
simply can’t cope
He confessed his belief
In the one true God.[2]
Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, and England,
Patron Saint of Georgia, Germany and Greece,
Patron Saint of Lithuania, Moscow and Portugal,
Patron Saint of Romania, and Serbia,
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
A nobleman, a man of God, his name was George.
Somebody says[3] Europe can’t cope
simply can’t cope
with African and Asian refugees.[4]
We’d be over-run,
Patron Saint of Archers.
It’d be too much,
Patron Saint of Cavalry and Cavalrymen.
We’d be ruined,
Patron Saint of Scouts and Soldiers.
We’d be overwhelmed,
Patron Saint of Riders and Saddlers.
We’d be tainted,
Patron Saint of Fencers and Field workers.
We’d be diluted
A noble man, a man of God.
His name was George.
Patron Saint of Ethiopia,
Lebanon,
Palestine,
and Syria,
Somebody says African and Asian men
women
and children
fleeing war
conflict
persecution
climate change
extreme poverty
violence
do so
illegally.
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
He was afflicted with many evils,
But his spirit was not broken.
Somebody says African and Asian refugees
men
women
and children
can’t possibly be human
can only be illegal
criminal
for surviving border zones
deserts
seas
and the jungle,
can’t be human
can only be small boats
for swimming the moat
and scaling the fortress,
can’t be human
for wanting to feel safe
and for wanting to live
breathe
dream
flourish,
and prosper
simply
cannot
can’t be human
He was afflicted with many evils,
But his spirit was not broken.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
Patron Saint of Syria,
Palestine,
Lebanon,
and Ethiopia,
Somebody says Europe can’t cope
simply can’t cope
with this invasion
with these black, Muslim numbers
these small boats
these non-humans
can’t possibly do forBlack African and Muslim Asian refugees
what we did forwhite, Christian, blue-eyed, blond, middle-class, working-class European men women and children Ukrainian refugees who look like us and live in houses and drive cars and go on holiday and go to work, church, the club, and school like us and who ...[5]
Then, when he had died,
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead.
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Portugal, England, and Germany,
Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, and Lithuania,
Patron Saint of Serbia, Romania, and Greece,
Patron Saint of Moscow and Georgia,
A noble man, a man of God.
His name was George.
Somebody says Europe is a garden
built of freedom
economic prosperity
and social cohesion[6]
an exception
built of beautiful things
intellectual life
and wellbeing
Yes, we’ve built a garden.
Europe is a garden,
and the rest of the world, a jungle.[7]
Then, when he had died,
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead.
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Moscow, Georgia, and Serbia,
Patron Saint of Romania, Lithuania, and Greece,
Patron Saint of Portugal, Aragon, and Catalonia,
Patron Saint of England, and Germany,
Somebody says the jungle
by different ways and means
will invade us[8]
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
Protector against the plague,
Protector against leprosy,
Protector against venomous snakes,
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
A nobleman, a man of God, his name was George.
Somebody says African and Asian men, women and children
drowning four times[9]
cannot be human
simply cannot,
can’t be human
can only be illegal
warehousable
transportable
trade-able
fungible
units
swarms
waves
a flood
mermen tripping on fantasies of walking on land sailing oceans on ship rudders[10]
Icarus[11] intent on disturbing 31-year-old, Clapham, south-west London software engineer’s Polish beer[12]
manacled, straitjacketed birds[13] on chartered deportation flightscattle trucks still–bursting throttling songs of freedom[14] through manacled legs torn ligaments shattered spines broken wristings broken necks crushed chests collapsed lungs[15]
nothing to see here nothing to hear
would you like something to eat, ma’am
something to drink, sir
fasten your seatbelts
enjoy the onboard entertainment
one in, one out
deal
of single
fighting age
illegal
numbers, meeennn
with no rights
to want
our jobs,
our women
our schools
our social housing
our NHS
hotels
homes
children,
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Ethiopia,
Patron Saint of Lebanon,
Patron Saint of Syria,
Patron Saint of Palestine,
Somebody says Britain must
reduce the numbers
send the drones
send the jet skis, wave machines and floating walls
send the navy
send the army
send M
MI5
MI6
James Bond
the police
The Doctor
send Peppa
Pig
send the patriots, knights, and SAS
send the villagers and towners
send Rupert Paddington, and Winnie
Toad too
round up
clear out
by any means
stopthem the invasion
bangthem up
stringthem up
reduce
smash
the foreigners the Africans the Muslims small boats numbers
sendthem back
carcasses
throwthem back
against the border
the sewer
vermin
the river
the sea
human zoos
concentration camps
death camps
killing fields
weapons development & testing grounds
organ harvesting fields
fence them in
what I’d like to know is would you push the button
open air & for-profitprisons containers
disused military barracks
offshore
out of sight
out of earshot
offshore rigs
prison ships barges
prison colonies
shithole countries
Rwanda
Albania
Kosovo
fish and meatmarkets grinders
wars
let them drown
tents
sands
count them
monetise them
tag & track them
no rare earth minerals
nor oil and gas
nor semiconductors
nor markets for our missiles, bunker buster bombs and F-35s
these
biomass
O God,
who didst grant to Saint George strength and constancy,
preserve, through his intercession,
our faith from wavering[16]
becausefor them
no visas
no e-gates
no family reunion
no safe routes
no sanctuary
because they are not,
cannot be
can’t be human
these numbers
these small boats
this invasion
cut their feet off[17a, b]
deflate their dinghies
the small boats
in the sun
let them drown
the Black African Muslim Asian carrion
in the night
detritus
in
at
within our
the border
driftwood
these small boats
these non-humans
can’t possibly do for
what we did for
Then, when he had died,
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead.
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Portugal, England, and Germany,
Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, and Lithuania,
Patron Saint of Serbia, Romania, and Greece,
Patron Saint of Moscow and Georgia,
A noble man, a man of God.
His name was George.
Somebody says Europe is a garden
built of freedom
economic prosperity
and social cohesion[6]
an exception
built of beautiful things
intellectual life
and wellbeing
Yes, we’ve built a garden.
Europe is a garden,
and the rest of the world, a jungle.[7]
Then, when he had died,
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead.
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Moscow, Georgia, and Serbia,
Patron Saint of Romania, Lithuania, and Greece,
Patron Saint of Portugal, Aragon, and Catalonia,
Patron Saint of England, and Germany,
Somebody says the jungle
by different ways and means
will invade us[8]
He arose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
Protector against the plague,
Protector against leprosy,
Protector against venomous snakes,
His name was George.
He confessed his belief in the one true God.
A nobleman, a man of God, his name was George.
Somebody says African and Asian men, women and children
drowning four times[9]
cannot be human
simply cannot,
can’t be human
can only be illegal
warehousable
transportable
trade-able
fungible
units
swarms
waves
a flood
mermen tripping on fantasies of walking on land sailing oceans on ship rudders[10]
Icarus[11] intent on disturbing 31-year-old, Clapham, south-west London software engineer’s Polish beer[12]
manacled, straitjacketed birds[13] on chartered deportation flights
nothing to see here nothing to hear
would you like something to eat, ma’am
something to drink, sir
fasten your seatbelts
enjoy the onboard entertainment
one in, one out
deal
of single
fighting age
illegal
numbers, meeennn
with no right
to want
our jobs,
our women
our schools
our social housing
our NHS
hotels
homes
children,
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
Patron Saint of Ethiopia,
Patron Saint of Lebanon,
Patron Saint of Syria,
Patron Saint of Palestine,
Somebody says Britain must
reduce the numbers
send the drones
send the jet skis, wave machines and floating walls
send the navy
send the army
send M
MI5
MI6
James Bond
the police
The Doctor
send Peppa
Pig
send the patriots, knights, and SAS
send the villagers and towners
send Rupert Paddington, and Winnie
Toad too
round up
clear out
by any means
stop
bang
string
reduce
smash
the foreign
send
carcasses
throw
against the border
the sewer
the river
the sea
human zoos
concentration camps
death camps
killing fields
weapons development & testing grounds
organ harvesting fields
open air & for-profit
disused military barracks
offshore
out of sight
out of earshot
Rwanda
Albania
Kosovo
fish and meat
let them drown
tents
sands
these
O God,
who didst grant to Saint George strength and constancy,
preserve, through his intercession,
our faith from wavering[16]
because
cannot be
can’t be human
these numbers
these small boats
this invasion
deflate the
the small boats
detritus
driftwood
these
because we can’t cope
because Europe is a garden
because the rest of the world
isnot blue-eyed blond a jungle
and the jungle
wants
to invade
us.
He rose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
And The Sirens, still –
with songs of freedom
– to thy treacherous coasts lure
the displaced
to these hard, hard coasts[18]
Wade in the water (we dey)
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water (we dey)[19]
[18] In conversation with “Rule, Britannia!” (1763): ‘The Muses, still with freedom found / Shall to thy happy coasts repair / Shall to thy happy, happy coasts repair / Blest isle regardless, with countless beauty places / And manly hearts to guard the fair’. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[19] The Spirituals. (2021). Wade in the water. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
because we can’t cope
because Europe is a garden
because the rest of the world
is
and the jungle
wants
to invade
us.
He rose again from the dead.
He arose again from the dead
And began at once to preach.
And The Sirens, still –
with songs of freedom
– to thy treacherous coasts lure
the displaced
to these hard, hard coasts[18]
Wade in the water (we dey)
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water (we dey)[19]
REFERENCES:
[1] In conversation with Toni Morrison who, in a 1975 speech, said: ‘The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.’ (Morrison, T. (1975). Lecture: A Humanist View. The Black Agenda Review, 26 March 2025. [accessed: 30 October 2025])
[2] Extract from The Georgslied (Song of St. George). Wikisource. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[3] In conversation with Lady Blacksmith Mambazo. (1986). Homeless. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[4] Krause, U. (2021). Colonial roots of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its effects on the global refugee regime. J Int Relat Dev 24, 599–626. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[5] Limbong, A. 2022. Why Ukrainians are being treated differently than refugees from other countries. npr, February 28. [accessed: 8 November 2025]
[6] Borrell, J. (2022). European Diplomatic Academy: Opening remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell at the inauguration of the pilot programme. European Commission, 13 October. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[7] Borrell, J. (2022).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Hayden, S. (2022). My Fourth Time, We Drowned. Fourth Estate, 2022
[10] Four Nigerians survive 14 days on ship’s rudder before Brazilian rescue. The Guardian, 1 August 2023. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[11] In conversation with Amanda Holiday. (2024). “African Icarus”, in Japa Fire: An Anthology of Poems on African and African Diasporic Migration. CivicLeicester, 2024: 32
[12] Kale, S. (2021). Out of thin air: the mystery of the man who fell from the sky. The Guardian, 15 April 2021. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[13] In conversation with Maya Angelou’s “Cage Bird”, on Poets Speak (2024). MAYA ANGELOU reads “Caged Bird”. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[14] In conversation with Bob Marley and The Wailers (1991). Redemption Song. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[15] Deaths of immigration detainees. 2017-2025. Inquest. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[16] Early church intercessory prayer
[1] In conversation with Toni Morrison who, in a 1975 speech, said: ‘The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.’ (Morrison, T. (1975). Lecture: A Humanist View. The Black Agenda Review, 26 March 2025. [accessed: 30 October 2025])
[2] Extract from The Georgslied (Song of St. George). Wikisource. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[3] In conversation with Lady Blacksmith Mambazo. (1986). Homeless. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[4] Krause, U. (2021). Colonial roots of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its effects on the global refugee regime. J Int Relat Dev 24, 599–626. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[5] Limbong, A. 2022. Why Ukrainians are being treated differently than refugees from other countries. npr, February 28. [accessed: 8 November 2025]
[6] Borrell, J. (2022). European Diplomatic Academy: Opening remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell at the inauguration of the pilot programme. European Commission, 13 October. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[7] Borrell, J. (2022).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Hayden, S. (2022). My Fourth Time, We Drowned. Fourth Estate, 2022
[10] Four Nigerians survive 14 days on ship’s rudder before Brazilian rescue. The Guardian, 1 August 2023. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[11] In conversation with Amanda Holiday. (2024). “African Icarus”, in Japa Fire: An Anthology of Poems on African and African Diasporic Migration. CivicLeicester, 2024: 32
[12] Kale, S. (2021). Out of thin air: the mystery of the man who fell from the sky. The Guardian, 15 April 2021. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[13] In conversation with Maya Angelou’s “Cage Bird”, on Poets Speak (2024). MAYA ANGELOU reads “Caged Bird”. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[14] In conversation with Bob Marley and The Wailers (1991). Redemption Song. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[15] Deaths of immigration detainees. 2017-2025. Inquest. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[16] Early church intercessory prayer
[17a] Hilsum, L. (2023). No way forwards, or back: The plight of West African migrants stuck in Niger. Times Literary Supplement, October 20. [accessed: 21 November 2025]
[17b] Hilsum, L. (2023). The story of Alphonse who we met in #Agadez. X, 3 October. [accessed: 21 November 2025]
[18] In conversation with “Rule, Britannia!” (1763): ‘The Muses, still with freedom found / Shall to thy happy coasts repair / Shall to thy happy, happy coasts repair / Blest isle regardless, with countless beauty places / And manly hearts to guard the fair’. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
[19] The Spirituals. (2021). Wade in the water. [accessed: 30 October 2025]
