Thursday, November 22, 2007
STAR volunteers unleash their poetic potential
STAR volunteers, inspired by David Neita “People’s Poet and People’s Lawyer” wrote their own poems of the themes of Asylum and detention.
On the Sunday afternoon of the 2007 STAR National Conference David Neita, “People’s Poet and People’s Lawyer”, led a poetry workshop encouraging participants to express their thoughts and ideas on the themes of this year’s national conference. David, who was a member of the legal team which brought the largest group action claim in the UK on behalf of thousands of South African asbestos miners, and is also the author of two books of poetry “A Manuscript Of a Scripture Man” and “PURE” orated some of his own poetry before encouraging volunteers to write their own poems or prose. Below are some of the results.
Poem 1
Where am I?
What have I done wrong?
I’m so tired
It’s so cold here,
I’m getting wet.
Could you tell me where I am?
Why am I here?
I need to sleep.
Why do they think I understand them?
It’s still raining
Can I come and stand under your umbrella?
Ok,
I’ll go in here.
It’s so dark
Can anybody hear me?
Poem 2
We sat
up side down
all fine rain and chewing gum
breathing in
Before?
Blandness backed by blander billboards
Beautifying boredom
Now
Slyly cede to the brick wall process
The tired guards and beige backdrop
“we don’t believe your story”
echoes down the corridor
this is not my story
breathing out
In the place between heaven and hell
Were you at the STAR conference and a participant in the poetry workshop? Did you write a poem? If so we would love to have a look at it, we think the ones above are great and we would love to see some more. Send your poems in to communications “at” star-network.org.uk.
Posted by Russell Brooks on 22/11/2007 at 12:14 PM
in STAR News
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