angel grey, wings chipped
thumbless hands pressed
palm to palm, sculpted lips
lichen sealed, downturned eyes
dulled by rain & scorn for
the wet money she protects
yet when they come with rope
& zeal her elbows crack dust
falls she curls an arm around
history’s narrow neck, binding
as co-witness an eternal sister
“Many live in cities that were built on money made through the slave trade. In the UK, statues of ‘philanthropists’ who gave ill-gotten money for projects have been pulled down, causing a reaction. ‘You cannot rewrite history,’ say some commentators. ‘Pulling down statues is part of history,’ others reply. Perhaps both are right. History is eternal, and actions have to be interpreted in context. But history has not followed a straight line to justice, and we should not memorialize evil acts. In ‘Rewritten’, a stone angel presides over the tomb of a 17th century slaver, her attitude disdainful. Yet when the people come to pull her down, she defends him, locking history into a final embrace for all to see as they pass.”