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Socks, Sandals, and the Sun We Stole

Pillaging Paradise One Bloated Pint at a Time.

By River and Celia in Underland Published 9 months ago Updated 9 months ago 1 min read
River Joy, April 2025

Blistered faces - skin lacerated

And reddened,

Raw from 

The lick of the sun.

For days-

You've Rotisseried yourself like

Chicken

Waiting for a flat

Bread-

To fill.

Your sandal clad feet don the tell-

Tale socks of

Your heritage.

The brown sauce

You ladle on to the yolk of

An overcooked egg-

Shovelling fork fulls of

Sausage meat like

a starving streetcat.

That belongs here.

Wash it down with beer-

And bargain bin

vodka

A british emperor on a high-

Your harem swigging vodka like

Mouth

wash

Before passing out on

The hot floors of

A place you 

Have trampled.

a perfectly painted paradise 

mountains over the sea

you limp down the road

hungover and cooked 

faking culture 

while wasting away 

in the sun 

once a year you come

slowly stripping the locals 

of what tradition 

they have left 

there's beauty here 

fresh food and clear water 

while you pile your plates 

with chips and mayonnaise  

smoking cheap cigarettes

what must they think of us here

slurring our syllables

with our empty stories on repeat 

colonialism consumes cultures 

even now 

even in the sun 

Even here.

In Eden. 

The army

Bikini clad. 

And clutching at empty

plastic

Straws.

Armed

With 

Entitlement

you

Invade

The landscape

You never

Owned.

---------------------------

Originally published on our bloggy blog thingy:

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About the Creator

River and Celia in Underland

Mad-hap shenanigans, scrawlings, art and stuff ;)

Poetry Collection, Is this All We Get?

Short Story Collection, Fifth Avenue Pizza

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Comments (6)

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  • `9 months ago

    Oh, I love the words you use; they really hit the imagery and feeling. I appreciate the message you are expressing.

  • Mother Combs9 months ago

    Beautiful, love this, <3

  • Caroline Craven9 months ago

    Sign me up! Sounds like a cracking holiday! Nah, I'm kidding. You've captured the worst of Brits abroad for sure 🫤 The army, bikini clad, clutching at plastic straws. What a line! Fab work you two.

  • Heather Hubler9 months ago

    Oh goodness! This held so many unexpected emotions. Such a sad picture you've painted. Beautiful work :)

  • Grz Colm9 months ago

    You have painted the picture very well. I initially smirked at the cover image, but now see that the title of the shop takes on another meaning.

  • Scathing thake on invasive colonialism

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