the whatsapp servers took a sudden spike

and the technical integrity of iplayer was challenged.

huw edwards rooted, frantically, through his desk’s bottom draw.

the bbc graphics went grayscale, too.

channel 4 disassembled their logo before desaturating.

people in pubs were glued to the coverage,

played on tvs surrounded by guinness memorabilia.

landlords across the land began repainting their signs

diligently copying her majesty’s profile over red lions and harts.

artists drew for their ipads, scratching at their screens

to evoke the consoling spirit of paddington bear.

graphic designers googled which fonts have royal warrants

and the owner of the rolf harris royal portrait felt his luck turning.

referees slash footballs in their thousands.

the met cancels the weather.

poets check for rhymes with crown.

those watching planes in aberdeen wear black cagoules.

members of parliament test each other’s knowledge

of the reigns of kings and queens of england

and check which era shall follow the second elizabethan.

and somewhere beneath the sound of rifles loading

went the final rise and fall.