The Sixth of January

Sue Nethercott
1 min readJan 6, 2022

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On the first anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol in D.C., which must not be whitewashed or forgotten, I’ve rewritten “The Fifth of November” — a poem about the failed treasonous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which Britain has not forgotten after all these years.

George Cruikshank’s illustration of Guy Fawkes, published in William Harrison Ainsworth’s 1840 novel “Guy Fawkes”
George Cruikshank’s illustration of Guy Fawkes, published in William Harrison Ainsworth’s 1840 novel “Guy Fawkes”

Remember, remember Jan. sixth, not November,
The firearms, treason and plot.
I know of no reason
Why the Capitol treason
Should ever be forgot!

Trumpsters and their companions
Did the scheme contrive
To hang Mike Pence and Pelosi
All up alive.

Some solid gallows, laid below,
To prove the election’s overthrow.
But, with great bravery, some were nabbed
Plus knives and sticks and things they’d grabbed!
Flag poles and bats
They used, the rats!

If you won’t impeach one,
Indict two,
Or better take three,
Them all we should sue.

A court, a court, to jail them all,
The leader until his life’s end,
And even the plotter most small,
For years of his life we’ll send.

Holloa, all! holloa, all!
let justice be served!
Holloa, all! holloa, all!
A fate well deserved!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Based on: Habing, B. (2006, November 3). The Fifth of November — English Folk Verse (c.1870).

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Sue Nethercott
Sue Nethercott

Written by Sue Nethercott

Open University BA, UMIST MSc, OU BSc Environmental Studies. Interests: environment, COVID19. Double #ostomate. Thom Hartmann’s newsletter editor. Views my own.

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