I was able to catch a few of the amazing workshops run by Marjorie Lotfi Gill as part of her inspirational Belonging project in 2016. Almost two years on these are a few of the poems that came out of those workshops.
Firefly
My kelip kelip, you hibernated so long
dreaming of dancing again with fireflies
dreaming above Edinburgh streets of warm water
running over your henna brown feet, of geckos
dancing the white walls, of the mist like God’s
breath rolling off the bay.
She Left
me a legacy
of flashbulb moments
all the sea in China
a trip up to the moon
plenty more stars in the sea
half caste four
pac a mac brown
in all those cross hairs
a perfect understanding
two scrambled eggheads
minds full of rust, tongues
wagging the wog.
Inside with you
after Tom Pow
All week I’ve been
inside with you
All week I’ve been
only seen in whispers.
At night, I’ve smashed
into splinters at your door.
All week I‘ve been
inside with you
Curtains drawn, closed in
we’ve lit candles
eaten food brought in
from others’ kitchens
held vigil in our pyjamas
I’ve cried.
Lemon Sun
My furrowed brow boy, you love your stories
your Greek Gods. Mythology tucked under your pillow.
You say, you dream in ancient Greek
of sleeping in ruins.
You say, you only want a Ford Escort
a mattress, a map to Sparta.
And I think, I would preserve you like a Lemon Sun
put you in as you are, hair like a porcupine, teeth too
big for your mouth. I would put you in vinegar
and syrup. Hold you to the light.
Mothers are hardy like Wallflowers are.
We grow at the edge of you
covering with ease, in shade
hairline crack, weave in with
grappling hook. Frost-proof. Tender
against brick. Hold tight. Create break.
Rosa - like apples
I delight in you, as I would in a view
from a window facing South. I turn to you
for the light, rest in you like a house-cat
and I would be powered by only you, if I
could only store you right- like apples.