Yes, it is a victory for common sense

and decency, our Gallic cousins

showing the way to truly be

a member of the Human Race,

yet let us not forget,

let us make sure we remember

that despite the horrors

visited upon the French

by a despicable regime

in our grandparents’ time,

that eleven million of them

still unbelievably backed

a party steeped in fascism;

that is the point,

that a third who voted

saw the opportunity to seize the past

once again.

Ian D. Hall 2017