by Benjamin Zephaniah (b. 1958) They put a leather belt around her 13 feet of tape and bound her Handcuffs to secure her And only God knows what else, She’s illegal, so deport her Said the Empire that brought her She died, nobody killed her And she never killed herself. It is our job toContinue reading “The Death of Joy Gardner”
Tag Archives: poet
On Virtue
by Phillis Wheatley (1753‐1784) O thou bright jewel in my aim I strive To comprehend thee. Thine own words declare Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach. I cease to wonder, and no more attempt Thine heights t’explore, or fathom thy profound. But, O my soul, sink not in despair, Virtue is near thee,Continue reading “On Virtue”
Bituminous?
by Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) The hard coal’s called bituminous, Or is that anthracite? Stalactites grow down from caves, Or do I mean stalagmites? Those fluffy clouds are nimbus — No — wait — they might be cumulus. And that kid who was raised by wolves — Was he Remus — or Romulus? The brothauruses ateContinue reading “Bituminous?”
Hope Is Not Lost
by Jessica Millsaps When the desperation hit When the people cried in the streets When everything felt at loss Hope stayed, even though fleeing would be easier When the eyes were full of tears When kids and family were torn apart By that last desperate gasp Hope tried When all else gave up When allContinue reading “Hope Is Not Lost”
Mystics Are the Sons And Daughters Of Silence
by Kenneth Maswabi We consume Silence We are consumed by Silence We thrive in Silence Silence thrives in us. We are the sons and daughters of Silence. We are the emptiness that walks the path of eternity The shadow of things to come We are the silent warriors The sons and daughters of Light WeContinue reading “Mystics Are the Sons And Daughters Of Silence”
The Fathers
by Edwin Muir Our fathers all were poor, Poorer our fathers’ fathers; Beyond we dare not look. We, the sons, keep store Of tarnished gold that gathers Around us from the night, Record it in this book That, when the line is drawn, Credit and creditor gone, Column and figure flown, Will open into light.Continue reading “The Fathers”
August
by Boris Pasternak This was its promise, held to faithfully: The early morning came in this way Until the angle of its saffron beam Between the curtains and the sofa lay. And with its ochre heat spread across The village houses, and the nearby wood, Upon my bed and on my dampened pillow And toContinue reading “August”
A Welsh Testament
by RS Thomas All right, I was Welsh. Does it matter? I spoke a tongue that was passed on To me in the place I happened to be, A place huddled between grey walls Of cloud for at least half the year. My word for heaven was not yours. The word for hell had aContinue reading “A Welsh Testament”
My Mother
by Frieda Hughes They are killing her again. She said she did it One year in every ten, But they do it annually or weekly, Some even do it daily. Carrying her death around in their heads And practising it. She saves them The trouble of their own; They can die through her Without everContinue reading “My Mother”
Summer
by John Clare Come we to the summer, to the summer we will come, For the woods are full of bluebells and the hedges full of bloom, And the crow is on the oak a-building of her nest, And love is burning o in my true lover’s breast; She sits beneath the whitethorn a-plaiting ofContinue reading “Summer”
Robin's Nest 