World Refugee Day in Poetry – Poet Laureate

June 21, 2017 in Other bits 'n' bobs

Delighted to have a poem here, a thought-provoking collection pulled together by Nina Lewis, the new Worcestershire Poet Laureate

https://worcestershirepoetlaureateninalewis.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/world-refugee-day-in-poetry/

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June 21, 2017 at 3:24 pm

Valerie Morton

Gosh Julie – this is very powerful stuff. With everything that has been going on in Britain, the refugee crisis has got a bit lost. Shame on us. Reading these poems left me feeling hollow and helpless but determined to get it back on the political agenda.Your poem is very special – it reminded me so much of how I felt in India when poor children would follow me and cling on for a few annas – at first I gave everything I had but found there became more and more children and in the end I fled without looking. When the problem gets so big one person just feels ashamed …….. but together it is different. Thanks for this reminder of something very important.

June 21, 2017 at 3:58 pm

J V Birch

Thanks Valerie, yes, Nina’s done a grand job of highlighting this ongoing crisis with powerful words and images. My poem was actually inspired by the Aboriginal community here where, in some places, they can be construed as being refugees in their own country