Victoria

Victoria
by cricketjeff on August 1, 2009.  © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
Prasutagus the king had died
An ally and a friend of Rome
But then his wishes were denied
And Roman soldiers seized his home

His Queen was flogged his daughters raped
And money lenders asked for pay
The depths of infamy were scraped
That was the sacred Roman way

Queen Boudica was no-one’s fool
And valiant as any man
She overthrew the Roman rule
Then hatched an independence plan

The Trinovantes joined her fight
And Camulodunum was razed
A Legion routed out of sight
And many villas brightly blazed

A trip to Verulanium
Saw many further Romans killed
And then off to Londinium
Where still more Roman blood was spilled

It isn’t clear what happened next
But Roman forces had to act
Suetonius was greatly vexed
At how his pax had been attacked

He picked his point on Watling Street
Where chariots could not be used
The Britons tumbled to defeat
And resurrection was defused

The Queen committed suicide
Suetonius was then replaced
Much wiser policies applied
The rapist troops were all disgraced

The Governor that Nero sent
Gave Bouddica her dignity
Her funeral was clearly meant
To show that Britons could be free

A Pax Britannia ensued
At least as far as Hadrian’s Wall
Results that could be clearly viewed
Until the Roman Empire’s fall

And now Queen Boudicca can stand
As symbol of our ancient rights
So greater lords can understand
That unjust rule means sleepless nights!

Author notes
Boudicca means Victorious in ancient Celtic languages, a fact which overjoyed
Queen Victoria who declared herself her predecessor’s namesake

For purposes of a contest this is about the clash of two ancient civilisations,
Roman and British.