rozk's elegy to Christopher Hitchens, this section in the style of Kipling's Tommy.... when killing brown civilians is the order of the day
you need someone who'll quote Camus for surprising modest pay
Oh it's dandy English stylist
with morals far too loose
but it's thank you Mr Hitchens
when there's peaceniks to abuse.
I'll line up Martin Amis and Salman to the fight
Orwell would have agreed with us, 'coz he was always right
Don't think that I'll add Austen or De Beauvoir to the mix
I only talk of girls when I slag off the Dixie Chicks
Read the whole thing
It's clever but also thoughtful, and not sure if I have quoted enough to make it clear it's not taking a simple stand for or against the exasperating old git. And that's probably what I feel most about Hitchens - that I don't have one point of view on the man. I've seen him take some pompous dull oaf to pieces because he was a million times smarter, and I'm like 'Go, team brainy!' But then he was a pompous oaf himself, and all that 'women aren't funny, war is great, pass the wine'.
Anyway, the poem is certain to get a wide audience I should think. Here are parts one and two which precede that section.
