To maintain the imperialist myth
Of the white man’s burden
We built heroic likenesses
Placed them on marble plinths
To look out over their domain
A constant reminder of the past
They serve another purpose
These statues of the great
Of those who created empire
Built on world domination
Under the yolk of colonisation
From which arose a nation
Great cities of power and wealth
An empire driven by commerce
Fuelled by barbaric slavery
Subjected to such cruelty
The profits invested for the good
Of those within these isles
Were these redeeming qualities
Of those great men with blood
With blood on their hands
Across so many lands
Should they now be expunged
Historically erased
Or to museums should they go
A forever reminder of the past
From which nations should learn
Of events never to repeat
