Looters looting, fighters fighting.
Sky's lit up by the fires they're lighting.
All colours, all ages, all getting greedier.
Who should we blame it on? Social media.
Never mind all the clean-up crews
with their dustpans and brushes, to heal the bruise
left on our nation by the trouble this week -
which they couldn't have done, if they couldn't speak.
Never mind all the lively debate
about how, once again, we can make Britain great,
or the people using their sense of humour
to dispel the panic from the rhetoric and rumour.
Forget the TwitPics and the rogues' galleries
helping the police to earn their salaries
and making sure that the looters are caught;
don't give those a second thought.
For every image that yields a name,
there's a critic out there apportioning blame.
So don't be surprised - and try not to be bitter -
when you hear 'this riot was caused by Twitter'.