The Hijacked Flag

They hoist me up
on a pole
an act of patriotism
or oppressive control?

They paint me on roundabouts
to be driven over by
a white van man.
An act of patriotism
or the tantrum of a child
hurling toys from a pram?

They spray me crude
on flyovers and walls
red drips running
like bloodshed
from colonial wars

Tell me how?
How can society stay complicit
while the sword of Saint George
is swung by
the semi-literate?