the course of empire

the maps of empire simplify the world
the french are green the spanish yellow
the british bright pink the italians greenish brown

schoolchildren learn the names of far off places
forget them in the playground and when asked
cannot remember if ubangi-shari
is a river or a mountain or a colony
and surely there has to be a british guinea
to go with the french and spanish and portuguese

and the people of these places the happy negroes
have no identity except for that and colonial
and worker in the mines and plantations
look at them smiling in the newsreels
read about the souls saved by missionaries
contribute to the redemption of pagan babies

but never ever think of them as human
never think of them as having all the same
fears and worries and satisfactions that you do
that might lead to asking why they serve you
and why they should be sending governors and missionaries
to save your rotten souls and that would be
a really unfair question and besides
we are the good guys aren't we?