There are snipers on the roofs of Manchester,

Special Forces clad in black

to be seen awaiting orders

on which protest they should first attack.

There are snipers on the roofs of Manchester,

just how long before they appear in Birmingham,

Newcastle, Edinburgh, Brixton, Bicester, Bootle,

how many bullets down the throats should they cram?

There are snipers on the roofs of Manchester,

ready it seems to take apart a crowd

by fair means or foul, with orders given

and no heads in shame bowed.

There are snipers on the roofs, they don’t even hide

for the words of the extreme right

are battering our ears, just as the bullets

take out our sight.

Ian D. Hall 2015