Saturday, June 24, 2017

Made with Love


HOME
calls  to  me
whispers  come  here
   bring  your  bag  of  ghosts     let  us  celebrate
bring  your  laughter  to  echo    your  stories    your  songs
I  will  envelop  you    protect  you    be  your  sanctuary
I  am  a  blueprint  for  your  future     a  centre     hub     nest   
nexus     carapace      a  fixed  point  on  your  map  of  life
your  orientation     your  space  in  the  universe
a  shell    a  shelter  from  weather  wildness  wuthering
a  sleep  palace     a  theatre  for  your  dreams       
be  pillowed    quilted    star-kissed    cradled  by  time
   recharge  rebuild  recover  root    make  new  memories
       be  remembered  here     love  and  be  known
the  worn-out  places  will  show  where  you  lived  best
your  footsteps  will  mark  the  way  here  for  others  to  find  you







Monday 5 June - Saturday 1 July 2017

Highlighting the plight of refugees worldwide as part of Refugee Week in Jersey, this exhibition in the Berni Gallery at Jersey Arts Centre is a creative collaboration between refugees and Jersey artists.

Friday, June 2, 2017

how to stay safe in twenty-first century war





















wear no symbols of faith   badges   T-shirt slogans
            speak very clearly avoiding adjectives   ambiguity
                        better still avoid language entirely

study brands   marketing   economics
            be very rich or very poor
                        don’t look like a victim

judge which people will poison your well
            who will kill your neighbour’s dog
                        who will burn your crops

stay close to home
            wear your home
                        be packed and ready to leave at any hour

practise navigating the streets in darkness without a map
            discover which wild plants and berries are edible
                        prepare to beg

have a plan for bombs   raids   disease
            adapt and modify the plan
                        welcome life without the plan

inhabit the fields as animals do
            move in search of food
                        follow the sun

know that all empires fall in time
            don’t become your enemy
                        learn to wait in the shadows