Empress Trees

The Empress trees are blossoming.
Dusty purple bells ring a silence
over Saint Peter’s Square.

Yesterday there was Britain First,
there was Palestine Action, the Anti-Fascist Coalition,
Black Lives Matter, Free Iran, Trans Rights,
Stand Up to Racism.

Yesterday there were flags and banners,
and voices raised in anger,
in despair, in hatred, in hope, in need,
in defiance.

Today is a Sunday,
and the Empress trees are blossoming 
over Saint Peter’s Square.

But nobody is looking at them.


April 2026


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