To break free from the concrete and routine that drives me mad My brain and body wanders through this ‘green and pleasant land’ Romanticizing suffering for a little peace of mind Amongst the beauty and the bloodshed of the English countryside The songbird sings a song so sweet to summon the sunrise It’s easy to forget those who are born and bred to die For business and for pleasure, some sick idea of fun The distant clouds are flesh and feathers and the thunder guns There’s violence in the valley There’s horror over the hill Rituals and pastimes that time forgot In a place where progress stands still Wood smoke clings to the air around a chimney on the farm And masks the stench of fear and death as rustic rural charm You can take and frame a photo or pick up a postcard But for me there is nothing picturesque about the master’s kennel yard If countryside community values are in decline Why does the alliance that has sworn to defend them just pedal bumper stickers and lies? Because no one likes politicians but sympathy? Ha! We care not For those who find peace and release on a ‘lesser beast’ by killing a fox with dogs There’s terror in the treetops There’s corpses in the copse Let’s bury this country way of life And watch tradition rot If you go down in the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise Reality a’int no picnic man, it’s not a nursery rhyme There is maniacal laughter as a fox is torn to shreds And the huntsman’s bloody fingers smear across his children’s heads They gain police protection through the revolving door Of privilege and politics, the saddle and the courts I’ve heard their lies so many times when our cultures collide We celebrate diversity and they the class divide What was once wilderness now resembles a warzone. Crumbling towers cast deathly shadows through the dying forests. There is no countryside, only genocide. The bloody hands of men, the bloody laws of governments. The bloody history of this bloody culture forced onto life, land and love. We are not soldiers, we bare no arms and raise no flag but in fear you wait. For we will tear your heritage from your cold dead heart And watch it burn in the meadows once and for all.

Dear Harry, dear old friend, with irony this poison pen Writes to you beyond the grave, victim of war, slave to the rave They labelled me a criminal when I was just fourteen Mind control is not subliminal when ‘Just Say No’ plays on repeat My body is mine not yours, thou shan’t control thee I decide what will heal and harm me My mind, my thoughts, are not bound by your laws This a’int justice it’s a crime against humanity Plagued with fear and panic crying ‘something must be done’ They legislated your commands and the War on Drugs begun Charismatic and fanatic, you set out to achieve Total eradication of any chemical release That might bring pleasure or pain relief and against expert advice Shot first then questioned later, high from the power trip supplied But criminalising doctors, minorities and the poor Turns users into addicts who will do anything to score Punish them with laws so hypocritical and dumb That help not hinder gangs and cartels sell drugs to the young Instead of us being educated and simply told the facts We blame a teenage overdose on video games and rap When really we should lay the blame on government policy That has failed to recognise that prohibition is a fallacy The criminal justice system is so corrupt and racist That It fills cells with poor people of colour and not the super-rich Even when the drugs they take are exactly the same The white persons party powder, the black persons crack cocaine So give all you have to give But leave my life for me to live Sometimes we all need a little lift And to let our consciousness shift My body is mine not yours, thou shan’t control thee I decide what will heal and harm me My mind, my thoughts, will not answer to your courts Where’s the truth, where’s the proof, where’s Lady Liberty? Taking drugs is fun and safe when you analyse the facts It only becomes dangerous when bonds of trust collapse Trauma and abuse are examples of why people seek escape In substance misuse, self-loathing, violence and hate But when treated not as deviants, criminals and scum And instead when shown respect, compassion and love People don't seek to escape but engage With society becoming catalysts for change Providing networks of support, healthcare and advice Is so effective at reducing drug related deaths and crimes That communities and governments are finally waking up To the fact that you will never win a War on Drugs With militant policing, criminal records and prison cells And should instead extend a helping hand as if that were yourself As for Harry Anslinger, the godfather of the drug war When his life ceased came the release of classified reports That he sold smack to Joe McCarthy while his war was waged And on his deathbed Harry’s veins felt just like Lady Days So give all you have to give But leave my life for me to live Sometimes we all need a little lift And to let our consciousness shift So smoke ‘em if you got ‘em and if you haven’t then you a’int But don’t let an ideology of fear fill you with hate Nature’s garden is filled with wonder and with fruits to soothe the soul Choose the apple of autonomy not the serpent of control Ceasefire!