City of Friendship

In Praise of Brighton and Hove
Written for Peter Kyle MP
for the City’s Annual Interfaith Service 2024

This is a City
Of two halves
One genteel
The other less genteel
And yet there is friendship

Born in 2001
Yet one-and-a-half millennia old
This City of two halves
Is one

It’s a place of peace and love
Fish and chips
Yin and Yang
Surf and Turf
Bill and Ben
Dot and Dab

In 1514, in a moment of pique
The French burnt Brighton to the ground
Five hundred-and-ten years later
We overlook this bad behaviour
‘Cos this is a City of Friendship

Today the descendants of the arsonists
Are warmly welcomed…
They attend language schools 
And drink caffé latte
A drink of Italian origin
Widely shared in places of friendship
Along with candy floss,
Toffee apples, and chocolate croissant
Also known as pain au chocolat
To pyromaniacs
And aficionados of The Real Patisserie

Home to LGBTQA
Home to people of all faiths, ideas,
Clothing, dress and inclination
Colours, creeds and views
Home to music hall, gardens and tattoos
Domes, minarets and gracious curves
Jedi knights, brats, mods and rockers
A spirit of sunshine, love and laughter
Embracing land and sea-gulls
This is a City of Friendship