Tag: migration

St. George’s Day 2020

~ mikebellwrites ~ Leave a comment

He landed [dondurucu]
under a northern star
on Kent’s stones/ Glib
shingle hindered him –

a slow-toddled walk on
this ever-algae’d land –
[his arrival was met by
many ill-faste lanyards]

He will aim to win grith
by his time-kept faith –
& until then be bedded
‘neath a low flight path

into LHR in a box room
[three-in-a-bed etcetera –
& narrowed bandwidth
of internet connections]

He cannot sleep easily
on his smarting wings
[sprouted after battles
against parochial sins]

& too soon he is re-set
[his crown to his chest]
& beseeches for return
to his disposed mess –

before England called –
Georgius finds warmth
bled under his donated
Red Cross coat – armed

with prayers to one God
& truth to himself [Beni
eve götür] Tran/ Take me
home? Let Georgius loose

to save his own – let this
stolen Saint return to his
land – still unassimilated/
Efface him – not a tattoo

Dead Stars

~ mikebellwrites ~ Leave a comment

Let us forget
their faltering war
of shatterings –
of splinterings
of run-from-shops
blown high-to-dust
by others’ drops
of barrel bombs
Let us suckle –
forever blind
Who cares about
such foreign stuff
when we fight
white men seeking
re-election?
Slipped pschents
and insolence –
they are our parade
through Facebook
and shelters under
Twitter storms
I fear death through
water as spelt out
by wicked cards
placed by Madame
Dead stars travel
but will not arrive

The Amber Light

~ mikebellwrites ~ Leave a comment

I was caught staring at the amber light –
the pause – the stop – the pushed brake
before the collision – before the crush
of border patrols upon the quick-shift

of dream-skinned people in frail boats –
none suited to such a rolling exodus –
all ferried by the free-traders of prayers –
they place a high price on such reveries

And now I can feel the white-grinding
of ice masses – of quickened melts –
of glaciers’ hurried abrasions on hills –
that accelerated ablation of fixtures

We will become the low-down migrants
without any possessions – of land or time –
as the seas rise to match the price-per-head
of our negligence – then my children will cry

and they will look at me – my poor pledges –
and try not to believe that I too plundered –
that their mother stole – the last lit chances –
to stop the incited rise of sea levels and lies

Conquest Hospital

~ mikebellwrites ~ Leave a comment

Robert Richard Rollins –
I was born nineteen thirty-four –
struggled with the name –
El-dwabe

He worried out loud
that he’d forget
the surgeon’s
Egyptian-sounding name

As he was wheeled –
backwards for ease –
he again apologised
so profusely to the nurse

for his failure to recall
I forget names –
the consultant …
El-dwabe