Category Archives: Poetry

I saw her again today, out there, scanning the horizon, her wild song calling them in. She was Kali, Ishtar, Isis and Athena, She was Gaia, Venus, the snake goddess, Minerva she knew why caged birds sang and now she … Continue reading →

Woman Life Freedom is a Kurdish slogan, a rallying cry challenging violent patriarchal deadly authoritarian government . Used during the protests which erupted in Iran as a response to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2023.My poem is about … Continue reading →

She sits and looks at her child, looks with love at her child, disabled. The Mother, single, looks through laughter, then through tears. She, the one who cares. She, the one who fears. Why the fears? Because she, alone, looks … Continue reading →

You pass a woman in the street, not a second glance given, so ordinary, nothing special, But, she is a nurse, saves lives, comforts the dying. She is phenomenal. Look at her over there, dressed smartly, but no different to … Continue reading →

“You’re an angle,” the drunken man said at 3.30am, in A&E. “An angle?” the nurse replied. “You’re an angel, an angel” he slurred “Don’t suppose angels have to use food banks,” she muttered. “I clapped for you,” he said “Well … Continue reading →

She Little But She Tallawa is a poem about an Eighteenth century Jamaican heroine, Nanny, small and wiry. ‘Tallawa’ means strong. She was trafficked from Ghana to Jamaica to become a slave. But once there, fought her way free and … Continue reading →

Bertha (Antoinette Cosway) The Woman in the Attic (inspired by Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea) My real name Antoinette Cosway New husband Rochester Brands me Bertha Henceforth My land, house, body mind (what little remains) All his I know who … Continue reading →

Dear Sir I request, respectfully, that you listen to me. I am young I am female I am Afghan Now I realise I do not count because I was born in Afghanistan. You said we could do it, we could … Continue reading →