Poems to end UK Hunger: young writers speak out by The Poetry Society

Poems to end UK hunger Young writers speak out

Poems to end UK hunger – Young writers speak out The Poetry Society 22 Betterton Street London WC2H 9BX poetrysociety.org.uk Cover photograph © James Lane and Huw Nicholls, 2018 © The Poetry Society & authors, 2018

Poems to end UK hunger Young writers speak out

Acknowledgements The Poetry Society would like to thank Jo-Anne Witcombe and Rachel Alcock from Oxfam for their support and partnership representing the End Hunger UK coalition on this project. We extend this thanks to Welsh-language Children’s Poet Laureate Casia Wiliam, who works for Oxfam Cymru and acted as a judge for the Young Poets Network challenge. Thanks go to Fran Pridham for writing the teaching resource for Poetryclass and Oxfam Education, and the feature for Young Poets Network. Thank you to poet Bob Devereux and the students and teachers at Redruth School who took part in a special workshop as part of this challenge. We’d like to thank Anthony Anaxagorou for leading a performance skills masterclass at The Poetry Society for winners Meredith LeMaître, Matt Sowerby and Dipo Baruwa-Etti; and Carl Shanahan for filming and editing the videos of them performing their prize-winning poems. We thank Arts Council England for its ongoing support. Finally, we thank the young poets presented in this anthology, and all the young poets and their teachers who entered the challenge on Young Poets Network.

Contents Introduction from The Poetry Society A note from End Hunger UK Sophie Thynne Meredith LeMaître Carol Chen Matt Sowerby Annie Fan Rohan Chakraborty Dipo Baruwa-Etti Natasha Moore Jade Cuttle

The stain on London’s dress Yellow Stickers #EndHungerUK Breadlines My Grandmother Tells Me About A Famine Concerning a Letter Written To My Local Council... Universal Basic Income A Closed Fist The Miracle of Mould

Oxfam Education Young writers and The Poetry Society The Poetry Society digital bookshelf Schools and The Poetry Society

6 8 10 12 14 15 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 31 32

Introduction Welcome to Poems to end UK hunger, an anthology of winning poems by young people written in response to the issue of food poverty. The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network is a lively online community of young writers aged 5 – 25. In 2018, the Network partnered with Oxfam and the campaign End Hunger UK with a challenge to write topical new poems. The campaign supplied statistics and personal stories from food banks, charities and people experiencing food insecurity. These helped spark poems of protest, spoken word poems – and above all, poems that reflected young people’s own experiences and feelings. The Young Poets Network challenge received entries from young poets up and down the country, from Lancashire to Wiltshire, Midlothian to Merseyside, Gwynedd to the Isle of Wight. From an amazing selection of honest, passionate and thoughtprovoking poems, the nine winning poems in this anthology were selected by judges Helen Bowell from The Poetry Society and Oxfam’s representative Casia Wiliam. As well as reading the poems here, you can also watch videos performed by winning authors Meredith LeMaître, Matt Sowerby and Dipo Baruwa-Etti, recorded at The Poetry Society’s Covent Garden venue. See the videos online at endhungeruk.org/poetry.

Also online you can find free resources to accompany the project, written by educator Fran Pridham, a Poetry Society Teacher Trailblazer from Wigan. Moved by the phenomenon of schoolchildren’s ‘holiday hunger’, Fran reflected on how poets might use their voices to fight for social justice. Find Fran’s feature at youngpoetsnetwork.org.uk. Schools can find a downloadable teachers’ pack with Fran’s creative writing ideas and key facts and questions from Oxfam about food inequality to help teachers continue to discuss hunger and inequality with their classes. Valuable teaching resources can be found on The Poetry Society’s Poetryclass site (resources.poetrysociety.org.uk) and via Oxfam Education (oxfam.org.uk/education). Young Poets Network is a key part of The Poetry Society’s mission to support young poets and poetry-lovers. If you’re inspired by the poems presented here, visit our online platform at youngpoetsnetwork.org.uk to read more about the project, as well as further poems, articles and new writing challenges. The Poetry Society, 2018

A note from End Hunger UK End Hunger UK brings together a wide range of national charities, faith groups, frontline organisations, academics and individuals working to tackle food poverty in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The use of emergency food aid in the UK, particularly in the form of food banks, has increased dramatically over the last decade. In the past year the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest foodbank network has supplied over 1.3 million three-day emergency food supplies to people so that they can feed themselves and their families. Food banks, and their army of volunteers, offer a vital lifeline to those in need. But they are a sign of our fundamental social failure to ensure that people in a rich country like the UK do not have to resort to emergency handouts to support themselves and their families. They should not become a permanent feature of support in twenty-first century Britain. The explosion in food banks we have witnessed begs the question of what is behind this growth in food bank use? A powerful combined effect of low salaries, insecure jobs, an inadequate benefits system and a rising cost of living have pushed more and more people into food poverty. It is estimated by the UN that almost three million people in the UK were severely food insecure between 2014 and 2016.

It is so important that UK citizens take action to show this situation is not acceptable. That’s why we launched a call for the next generation to write poems that were inspired, passionate and calling for change – and they certainly delivered. Casia Wiliam, one of the judges, said: “The poems submitted to the competition made me laugh and made me cry, but more than anything they filled me with hope; our young people are compassionate, educated and committed to creating change. We had poems about empty shelves, hungry bellies and tired feet. Poems about a lacklustre government and an uncertain future, about the inequality of poverty, about guilt, and greed. The winning poets should be very proud of themselves; the standard was incredibly high. To all of you who entered this competition – keep your eyes open, keep thinking, keep asking the difficult questions and, of course, keep writing.” End Hunger UK is proud to exhibit the nine winning poems published here in a touring exhibition during the summer of 2018 as part of project which aims to engage MPs. The tour will visit cities in each UK nation and culminate in a lobbying event in Westminster. End Hunger UK, 2018

FIRST PRIZE, 11-15 CATEGORY

Sophie Thynne The stain on London’s dress She walks among us, silently shouting as chipped nails crawl across empty wrappers as Friday night’s quick treat turns into a sick craving for more and more until the breaking point leads to a moan of agony as we blatantly ignore the dark stain on London’s dress, scrubbing at the starving and skinny mark that stinks of poverty and left-overs. In the rain until we give up and turn away from the suffering. Eyes skip past her as she lies on the road singing of silver coins dropped down drains and tossed into wishing water without any thought of what it could mean. Her moans are silenced with a look as we diagnose her as greedy, mentally ill, ignorant of her hungry children. We are killing her slowly and yet label her a murderer; jailing her guilty as she skips one, two meals and then her child’s. She is young, gambling away the pillows that she scratches at to ease the itch of hunger. A broken welfare reform tells her that her small crumbling home that is starving her is her saviour, the sign of the money we know she doesn’t have. Laughing at her tears we cry some more for our problems and then turn and debate at cocktail parties in that stained dress, what is this thing that is coursing through the veins of the Thames and washing up on our shores? Suffering of one turns into cries of thousands and we think that this is a phase of estate

agents and a reason to reprimand children on the scraps of green left on a white chipped plate. She is not the disease to be cured and treated, isolated from society in the rags of a failing health care system, but this city and our home is. The stigma in our brains as we brand her with stores and packaging that she cannot afford, scrubbing still at the mark of ruin. Barcodes of black words blotted into thick lines that read vintage teabags and old-fashioned bread. We know what she is, what bleach will remove this stain on an ugly and hateful dress, and that the person twirling in the mirror to block out the ruin of hunger and poverty is the skeleton in the closet. But we are tired and have had life hard enough, so maybe tonight when we come home weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll order a takeaway from the chippy under her flat because we deserve it, right?

SECOND PRIZE, 11-15 CATEGORY

Meredith LeMaître Yellow Stickers Tonight I’m dreaming of your lips again, it’s saffron spring and I’m longing for love, specifically yours. In the kitchen Mama’s weeping chemical tears whilst chopping bitter onion ends. She’ll sauté them with mushrooms (so small you could swallow them like pills) we bought for 10p three days ago reduced to clear. Last night we mixed water with the milk to make it last, and my mother went hungry so she could watch me grow since she’d rather drink endless cups of tea (black), although she hates the taste, than see me with an empty plate. I know I’m the most ungrateful girl alive ‘cos Mama’s slowly becoming transparent 12

while I’m still starving for you: you who never fed me a kind word, who stole away my lungs, left me without oxygen, rerouted my mind to think I couldn’t live without you, you had me gasping for you like you were my nicotine, and I was an addict, I’m starving for you though you trampled on my heart and walked away like everyone always seems to when I’m involved. Tonight I’m finally done with you, ‘cos these days you’re a luxury and I’m done being a spendthrift.

THIRD PRIZE, 11-15 CATEGORY

Carol Chen #EndHungerUK She sits before an empty table, her eyes empty and sad. Will the food ever arrive? She’s waiting for her Dad. In the room next door a young girl cries. ‘I don’t want my greens! ’ ‘I just want to eat fries! ’ She doesn’t have the energy to give her Dad a hug, He’s returned empty-handed, doesn’t even have a mug. ‘Drink your hot chocolate! Don’t spill it on the floor! ’ It’s hard to believe that they live just next door.

FIRST PRIZE, 16 -18 CATEGORY

Matt Sowerby Breadlines Give us this day our daily bread So said the underfed, Give us it because the baby’s half-dead Because when Susie’s heading to the bank She doesn’t mean NatWest – There wouldn’t be any point anyway. They have cropped the Lord’s Prayer. They want one thing from the Divine: Daily bread, hence why When we talk about poverty We call it the breadline Where £1.85 Means you’re buying some red wine And the Daily Mail’s headlines Invade minds like head lice. And on the corner near Home Bargains Aidan sits on the paves. He’ll gladly accept your coppers But is desperate for change, Tin cans and plastic bags lovingly arranged. He tells me:

“This is a food fight. This here is the Hunger Games.” And little Benny’s tummy is rumbling He calls out to eat something And Mummy’s coming But in her hands she’s carrying nothing And he’s crying again, Off he goes, Though little does he know His mum hasn’t eaten for three days in a row. Sometimes I hope that I’m seeing Fake news on the television Because what I’m seeing is so shocking That I want it to be fiction, Then I hear complaints From my mates When a packet of grapes Is out of their price ranges. And I don’t mean to make this an issue of religion But with prices like high rises These fruits remain forbidden.

I’m not a cynic But it is ridiculous when the 1% Are still fattened up like chickens. How is this still a problem in Britain? How here do eight million Still struggle to get food into the kitchen And why are those worst affected Including one in five children? Yet the issues are still hidden. These stories remain unwritten And nobody’s listening. But the thing with Pandora’s box Is that there’s still hope within it. And that hope is from the times I’ve seen people supporting their neighbours, Even those normally cautious with their wages, And yet when I see people collecting donations It’s not the suits that are paying up, It’s the teenagers. Unreported acts of bravery Every day by the nameless. So forget God Because I reckon Five thousand can be fed Without divine intervention. 17

So give us this day our daily bread Or at least give us the means Because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll manage the rest.

SECOND PRIZE, 16 -18 CATEGORY

Annie Fan My Grandmother Tells Me About A Famine it was july. no / june. there were no birds / no children, my hands / you wouldn’t know how to / boil bark & live. the deadness of mud, how the earth could spit you out / alone; & so / britain. we drive to the shops, my body that has never hungered, / hers shortened by need over want & made harsh by these sodium lights / city / petroleum fuel / air. i can’t / see the trees or easypeel oranges, veal, unfiltered, cold-pressed oil my mother likes, to buy & fill our plastic bags & better, more for the foodbank; that sunday, she tells me about shame & food & unlocks trussell trust leaflets from the church office behind the folding divider, & the pastor begins / – won’t live // by bread alone / Οὐκ ἐπ’ // ἄρτῳ μόνῳ / & then it’s june. i touch the trunk of every tree, precisely, like the back of my grandmother’s hands. i don’t know how / there are still locks on bins at the supermarket, / poverty premium / austerity / hunger / & far away the bark keeps growing / & we drive to the shops on sunday again / & again. 19

THIRD PRIZE, 16 -18 CATEGORY

Rohan Chakraborty Concerning a Letter Written To My Local Council, Signed Your Conscience i feel sickened as the plot thickens in the kitchen the broth of nothingness starts brimming and it feels like i’m sinning FIRST WORLD COUNTRY, YOU’RE LIVING so i daren’t complain, though i daresay i feel pain, though i feel half a man i look it and i feel it, my ribs don’t protrude like you see on YouTube but my head throbs and tightens like laces on shoes – ‘You crazy youth!’ / ‘You lazy yob!’ YoU DoN’t FaZe Me, FoBs, YoU’vE gOt EnOuGh MoNeY wItHoUt WoRkInG a JoB BUT PLEASE MR MINISTER i do work a job, i package food that i cannot touch, Tantalus, you hush

BUT PLEASE MR MINISTER i know you’re in a rush, the stories i tell aren’t just a lie BUT PLEASE MR MINISTER children scrape at my thighs, scrape scraps like they’re sent from God on high MR MINISTER – we have no dignity to beg. the only glut i have is love, it’s the only weight i can shed.

FIRST PRIZE, 19 - 25 CATEGORY

Dipo Baruwa-Etti Universal Basic Income Workin who knows when, what uh way ta make uh livin. I drop Alfred at school, hear they too may stop givin. I take uh long walk down thuh High Road, handin out CVs like a hundred metre race. All distributed, I take uh lil trip ta Camden, ma fav’rite place. I’m there in two hours, walkin, unable ta waste uh fivah. Starin, I dream bout livin at numba six, where an Armani clad man is led by his drivah. Ma head pans up ta thuh balcony an’ see Mrs X tendin ta roses. Now I’m thinkin of choc’late; junk, held under our noses. I leave thuh Gardens ta head ta thuh gates an’ play chaperone, complain ta a friend who says man shall not live on bread alone,

ignorant ta ma pain, cos I’m paid, unaware ma cupboards an’ fridge an’ freezer are a cesspool. Alfred sits across thuh table from me, a smidge of baked beans on his chin. I wear sunglasses ta hold in signs that this ain’t regal, wonderin if there are any means to ensure we eat prop’ly so ma eyes, ta find even a scrap, don’t have to be like those of an eagle.

SECOND PRIZE, 19 - 25 CATEGORY

Natasha Moore A Closed Fist I am hungry, But you feel no need to feed me. I ask you, ‘why?’ You quite simply give no reason. You would much faster feed a dying dog in the street Than acknowledge a fellow human in need. Or am I not human? Am I not human enough for you? Or are you not human? Are you not human enough for me? See I thought hu-man-it-ty Was all about compassion, That it was all about togetherness, But perhaps these rose-tinted glasses need to be removed for once. No, I don’t pay your bills or buy you food. I don’t provide your live-li-hood. But perhaps one day I will. Perhaps not you, but the person after the next will spare my life, Grant me a piece of bread and with that a second chance at life. And perhaps with that I’ll get the chance to be that doctor, The one who saves the life of your wife and unborn child So you won’t have to foster The pain of suffering without something or someone you dearly need. I will be the one to lift you off your knees All because someone else gave me something to eat. 24

THIRD PRIZE, 19 - 25 CATEGORY

Jade Cuttle The Miracle of Mould You might think I’m more mould than mind, tampering with the gravitational pull between spinach and scale in the grocery store; a flat-packed scam folded into waste-paper skin. But swallowing so many honey-glazed lies I’ve simply learnt to nurse the glint of sun into gold; spin miracles from mangled bits of bread, minced excuses and morsels; conjure dreams from dust. The world spits me out like I’m sour; like the pollen is poison in the flower that sprouts from the wasteland of my heart. But I’m just hungry, that’s all, tinning my hope in brine so it won’t turn stale.

Oxfam Education Oxfam believes young people are critical to building a just world without poverty. We know they have the power to be active global citizens, and help build a fairer, safer and more secure world for everyone. Through our work in schools and beyond, we support them every step of the way. We give young people the space to think about their values, and the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills to make change happen. Teachers are at the heart of what we do. We have a huge bank of learning and activity resources to engage and inspire, both in the classroom and the wider community. Beyond the classroom, we give young people lots of ways to take action for a better world. In an Oxfam School Group, they can play a critical role in our latest campaigns, take the lead and speak out about global poverty. We also provide school speakers, teacher training opportunities and so much more. Through it all, we are guided by our vision of a future without poverty, shaped by young people who are actively engaged in the world around them. oxfam.org.uk/education

Young writers and The Poetry Society Young Poets Network is The Poetry Society’s online platform for young poets up to the age of 25. It’s for everyone interested in poets and poetry – whether you’ve just started out, or you’re a seasoned reader and writer. You’ll find features, challenges and competitions to inspire your own writing, as well as new writing from young poets, and advice and guidance from the rising and established stars of the poetry scene. For updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @youngpoetsnet youngpoetsnetwork.org.uk

Illustration: Andrew Rae.

SLAMbassadors SLAMbassadors is The Poetry Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spoken word project. Since 2001 it has been unearthing new talent, igniting live events, and developing the future of UK spoken word. Previous winners include Anthony Anaxagorou, Megan Beech, Kayo Chingonyi, Aisling Fahey, Tommy Sissons, Vanessa Kisuule and Jay Bernard. In 2018, there are two ways you can participate.

Photos: Cesare de Giglio for The Poetry Society.

SLAMbassadors Masterclass Are you 13 – 18 years old? Apply to take part in a free SLAMbassadors masterclass with Joelle Taylor on 17 and 18 November 2018 at The Poetry Society in London. The workshops will be suitable for people who have already written or performed a little bit and are now looking for some expert guidance. Over the weekend you will collaborate to create a set to perform at this year’s showcase event.

SLAMbassadors Showcase Now open to all young poets, spoken word artists, MCs, rappers and performers who work with words. This year the SLAMbassadors showcase will feature the best new performers aged 13 – 25 across the UK. If you, your collective, school or group would like to perform at this event on 18 November 2018 you can apply for a slot. Deadline for all applications is 31 August 2018. For more information about our spoken word projects and schools work and to download application forms visit slam.poetrysociety.org.uk or email us at slam@poetrysociety.org.uk.

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, which celebrates its 20th year in 2018, is the largest free international poetry competition for 11-17 year olds, with entries from thousands of young people worldwide. Each year 100 winners (85 Commendations and 15 Overall Winners) are selected by high-profile judges to win publication, tuition, and poetry goodies. Past winners include Helen Mort, Jay Bernard and Richard Osmond, as well as many of the young poets presented in this anthology. The Award closes 31 July every year, and is open to poems on all themes. With no entry fee, and no limit on number of poems, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fantastic opportunity for any writer aged 11-17. foyleyoungpoets.org

The Poetry Society digital bookshelf Flick through our ever expanding range of free and exclusive poetry anthologies and resouces by visiting issuu.com/poetrysociety

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award anthologies of winning and commended poems.

Partnership publications of poems inspired by African footballers and the environment, and an invaluable resource book, packed with activities for teachers and pupils. 31

Schools and The Poetry Society Teaching resources, including free lesson plans, are available from resources.poetrysociety.org.uk Page Fright is an online resource bringing canonical poetry to life with contemporary spoken word performances. There are also ideas and writing prompts to inspire new writing. resources.poetrysociety.org.uk/Page-Fright Poets in Schools is a service placing poets in classrooms across the UK, encouraging an understanding of and enthusiasm for written and spoken poetry across all key stages. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a one-off workshop or a long term residency, an INSET session for staff or a poet-led assembly, we can find the right poet for your school. poetrysociety.org.uk/education School Membership connects your school with all that The Poetry Society has to offer. School members receive books, resources, posters, free access to our Poets in Schools service, and more. poetrysociety.org.uk/membership

The Poetry Society in school. Photo: Hayley Madden for The Poetry Society.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last night we mixed water with the milk to make it last, and my mother went hungry so she could watch me growâ&#x20AC;?