Poem: The Naming of Schools
The naming of schools is an awkward matter,
it's not your average computer game;
you may think at first this is idle chatter
but a school needs a distinctive, heritage name.
This heritage name might be abbreviated
by its pupils and staff, its old girls and teachers,
yet its original name shouldn't be suffocated
being one of its affectionately known features.
Some of the old girls were incandescent,
Others went truly ballistic,
While a few said they were just florescent
Relegating the name to a simple statistic.
A change in this nomenclature or appellation
Dismays the Gals' Londonderry Air;
To dispel our onomastic declaration
Is tantamount to saying 'we were never there'.
But the terminology that makes us anonymous
regarding a decision that appears too political,
The vote, we hear, was almost unanimous
And it's incumbent on us to be analytical.
So let's be pragmatic with the fait accompli
The school's the same for you and for me
When all's said and done what's in a name?
The more things change the more they remain
the same –
Or more potently
As ever in my great taskmaster's eye!
A Member of LHSOGA London Branch