Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Big society, big society what do we know about the big society
High society I once heard about, a movie icon of the past societies,
But we have been told by no less a person than the prime minister
The honourable David Cameron,
That there is such a thing as a big society,
Where all are big in the sight of all,
And not some big some small,
This translates into the fact that all have potential
And all are potentates,
This means that all are indeed great.
Both the homely and the homeless,
All have a right to life and splendour.

Big society big society,
Many are big in society,
They push their weight about and around,
But what of me, what of us, we are not so big,
Yes, not even in our own sight, neither are
We minnows, ready to be feasted 
On by the next big fish in our sight.

Big society big society,
I know what big society means,
It means we have to help each other,
It means we have to glorify the true helpers in our midst
It means we have to employ the best amongst us and help the rest,
It means we have to ensure that the downfallen amongst us have to be lifted up,
It means that we have to be better at all and in all we do, and put to rest the old
Anachronisms, to rest the old suspicions, put to rest the old vices borne by class
And instate the understated as being in the right supporting the underdog against the bully,
That for me means the big society.
  
The big society can make us better in our small societies,
In our little corners of habitation,
We can take on the task as the big society suggests,
By making our environments better,
Stronger, wealthier, cleaner and bigger,
Then and only then can we be said to have achieved
The utopian ideal which the big society embodies.