city shades
DESCRIPTION
Published in 2012 by Wordjar Publishing No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except for the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. www.wordjar.com [email protected] Facebook: Wordjar Twitter: Wordjar Wordjar Publishing. London Edited by: Kimberley Kasirowore (Wordjar Publishing) Designed by: Kelvin Akposoe (Wordjar publishing) Foreword London 2012. The mere mention of locatioTRANSCRIPT
Published in 2012 by Wordjar Publishing
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except for the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
www.wordjar.com
Facebook: Wordjar
Twitter: Wordjar
Wordjar Publishing. London
Edited by: Kimberley Kasirowore (Wordjar Publishing)
Designed by: Kelvin Akposoe (Wordjar publishing)
Foreword
London 2012. The mere mention of location and date together bring to many memories of celebrated events hosted in the city. The 2012 Games of the XXX
Olympiad, the Royal Wedding and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, all contributed to perpetuating the perception of London as an elegant, sophisticated and multi-
cultural city. Fantastic as this may seem, these iconic events were marred by the nightmare that were the city’s riots just ten months prior.
Following the completion and publication of WordJar’s identity focused ‘Who
Am I’ anthology, the team felt that an anthology exploring the true identity of centre staged London would best follow. This anthology works to reflect
the opinions possessed by the mixed multitudes that reside either side of the Thames’ banks.
The following poets were called to play mind’s eye tour guides, by taking readers on a worded journey through their backyard metropolis. Authenticity was essen-tial on this project, and it is to be noted that working with these poets felt a lot
less like work, and a lot more like conversation.
It is for their efforts that I give them thanks, and yours for giving the audience.
Kimberley KasiroworeEditor
Wordjar
CONTENTS
35791215
Like LondonA force to be reckoned with
Inner City RainbowLondon is Burning
LondonLondon Lonely
CITY
SHADES
Like Londonby
Andrew Isabirye
‘’If you’re not careful London will get the best of you...”
3
To be constantly under construction, like London.
Is to be;
Constantly un-content with your net worth.
Constantly self-conscious of your public appearance.
Constantly in the shadow of the pretence of your name.
If you’re not careful, this city will get the best of you
To be constantly under construction, like London.
Is to be;
Constantly attuned to the spaces around you.
Constantly connected with the peoples of the world.
Constantly under the influence of the magic which gives
Bricks, mortar, steel and glass a life of their own.
* If you’re careful, this city could get the best of you
To be constantly under construction, like London.
Is to try and fail, and now here you are, under a temporary housing estate,
Soon to be knocked down and replaced - by luxury apartments,
And you are relocated to NW8,
Thinking about all this city has put you through,
Yet still thinking; scheming of a plan, entitled and underlined
London; I will get the best of you
Andrew Isabirye
A force to be reckoned withby
Shenece Liburd
‘’Chapped lips, cracked lips, the wind cracks it, whip...’’
5
Chapped lips, cracked lips,
the wind cracks it, whip.
The blustering, blistering witch
like a snitch, as our secrets slip,
slither through the crevices
the corners of the council houses,
peering overing the terraces
trespassing it is.
our lives it skips,
never ceasing, ever increasing.
Watches, whispers, waiting in the wing.
The pigeons croak, they dont churp,
they envy the exotic bird’s sing, chanting.
Flapping their decrepid wing, no fight no flight, theres no use in waving the
useless and paining.
Curled up on the balcony, sheltered from the peircing sting.
What an evil thing, its force not to be reckoned with,
it has the power of a king,
you’re just a pawn in play,
left pining - waiting for the opponent to win.
But this isnt the ending, your still defending.
Under the skin, pounding adrenalin.
You will overcome, as you gather strength from within.
Shenece Liburd
6
Inner City Rainbowby
Anthony Lyrics
“If you believe in yourself, the city’s shade will support you as you grow...”
7
A young girl becoming a single mother gives birth to her baby Violet,
Whilst her baby’s father sells drugs; deferring ambitions of becoming a pilot.
On the other side of town, a greedy banker waits as the lights turn Yellow
Ecstatic about gambling the nation’s money to leaves us mourning like Othello.
As the news breaks, so does the will of the youth burning Red,
Rioting the streets with rage as some tweet their inventory before bed.
All across the city, everyone tries to avoid the clutch of the Blue,
As figures reveal, London is becoming another crime filled South Central.
Yet, despite the negativity, kids still aspire to change the world and live Green,
Surviving to make a better way; striving to fulfil their dreams.
And some students do beat the debt, and invest in a brighter future like Orange.
Making their way up corporate ladders with others to leave the opportunity door
unhinged.
Destiny and fortune are abstract concepts like the colour Indigo,
If you believe in yourself, the City’s Shades will support you as you grow.
Anthony Lyrics
8
London is Burningby
Gloria Ede
“London a twisted kaleidoscope, of hope, fears and dreams...”
9
London.
Live here all of your life
But still feel like a tourist
I find myself walking on the left
And standing on the right.
Your right.
Much to the annoyance of my fellow travellers
Standing out like a light, in an office at night
Still on after everyone else has gone
Refusing to switch off just because
It seems the works been done.
From the cold grey stock markets on the grey square mile
To Dalston market where an aunty, headscarf tied,
Bargains for two cuts of meat for the price of one
We’re all buying and selling
Selling ourselves to buy temporary happiness
But the price has been paid
Long before we were made
More beautiful than any work of art in the Tate
More dramatic than anything portrayed on a West End stage
If only we could see our city’s worth through His London eye
10
You see a girl drunkenly stumble outside the club
Singing ‘God save the queen’ at the top of her lungs
But He hears the real song she cries in her heart
‘God save me. Please’
Madman on the underground
Eyes avert, passengers shuffle uncomfortably around
No one sees him let alone the demons that plague him
and torture his mind.
London.
A twisted kaleidoscope of hopes, fears and dreams
A petrie dish of souls not as happy as they seem
As we float along the Thames
We’re oblivious to the waste that lurks beneath.
Lights forever on but still shrouded in darkness
Thick layer of smog above the clouds.
Above our hearts.
Air and minds polluted.
London is burning.
Gloria Ede
11
Londonby
JJ BOLA
“London, listen as she breathes…”
12
Listen as she breathes
London.
Listen as she breathes,
This city.
It makes promises in the form of dreams
And keeps them in places that are hard to see.
On street corners and pavement slopes,
Pockets full of hope, a kaleidoscope of emotion
Trickles
Down
A gutter.
A rainbow appears,
It’s raining,
But that is not new here.
It rains fears and regret,
Nights out that we’d rather forget,
Sweat swept from nervous foreheads
Where secrets are better kept,
Secret.
Here lies spread like wild fire,
But what of truth, what truth do we speak of?
We keep our upper lip stiff, say nothing so nobody listens,
Think quick, people shine, but their minds don’t glisten,
So fifteen minutes isn’t a long enough time,
But we each want our claim to fame.
The smoke covers the window panes and mirrors
So we don’t see ourselves clearly,
Our reflection is but a memory
A fading imagine of what we once used to be
Lovers,
Livers of life,
Before we gave it up for the mundane.
But do you remember the days
When we’d reach the top of the climbing frame
And feel like we had just conquered Everest.
The days when we would speak our hearts,
Without being drunk on beverages.
The days when we believed,
In ourselves,
In each other.
The city lights sparkle,
Like a beautiful woman’s eyes
London always leaves me breathless,
There is a peace that slips through my fingers
And gets buried in the ground.
One day, when love will pour down,
I hope we would have all found
What we’ve been looking for.
JJ Bola
London lonelyby
Errol McGlashan
“This one’s for the London lonely...”
15
This one’s for the London Lonely
For those who aint got a one and only
Whose hearts have no home
And so they roam
Along the South Bank
Staggered file and rank
Eyes cast down damp
This is for those who don’t do eye contact
Cos when they do you feel under attack
by sadness caused their delusions of lack
Dotted around da city
In their dozens and hundreds
This one’s for the lonely Londoners
The West End wanderers
The Soho stumblers
Chat up lines on pieces of paper
Conversation starters to be used for later
This one’s for the hesitaters
The social life procrastinators
Say it straight “let’s make it a date
Don’t hesitate
When you hesitate
You seal your fate
He who hesitates
Masturbates
This is for those who daily delete their internet history
Who whether they’ve ever even had a love life is a mystery
This one’s for the London lonely
Those who feel they are the one and only
Who has ever felt the way they do
Who never thought it would ever come to this
Theyre the romance bumblers
The love song mumblers
This one’s for the lonely Londoners
So steeped in solitude
Save the cat at home
But they hardly ever speak
Cos the cats got their tongue
This is for those whose minds
Aint so sound
(Or maybe they are and we just aint come around)
Who wander around
Up and down
They go back and forth
And forth and back
On oyster topped up with a couple of pound
Down the London lonely underground
On the circle line they go round and round. . . and round
This is for those who mind the gap
This is for the night bus insomniacs
This is for those who often hear
Excuse me this bus terminates here
This is for those on the ledge looking down
And seeing nothing but murky grey and brown
This is for those who feel they don’t belong
Who dine alone whilst they hunger
Attempt to plunder
The depths of their disconnection
Their delusion of loneliness
What they need to know is this
All is well nothing is amiss
But when you tell em this
Their teeth they kiss
So youre going to see an exhibition at the Tate Modern
Invited by that person you fancy like rotten
Got a table booked at WagaMamas for eight
There you’ll meet some friends
Cos theres a birthday to celebrate
You got places to see and people to do
Well this aint for you
This is for the London Lonely
For those who aint got a one and only
Whose hearts have no home
And so they roam.
Errol McGlashan
If you like City shades, you may also like:
‘My Love’
‘Who am I?’
‘A Poet’s soul’
‘Words I never said’
‘My Love 2’
‘Another point of view’
All available at Wordjar.com