Creative Writing

Pushing Harder, by Fegor

As the sun rise
We would rise with it
Pushing harder than yesterday
We move higher

The sun is bright
So are we underneath
We shine under the sun
Our skin like black pearls

28th November 2023

I Will Come Back, by Selina

I Will Come Back is a poem by Selina, a 75 year old refugee who has spent over 18 years of her life in the UK. For a long time, she was homeless, surviving only on the support she received from local charities in Swansea. She has recently won her legal battle to stay in this country, although during this period her physical and mental health has deteriorated dramatically

28th November 2023

Love in a Cold Climate, by Mahsah

by Mansoureh (Mahsah) Koohnab.

28th November 2023

Be Like Water, by Dino

Be Like Waterby Dino. Translated by Helen Hintjens.

28th November 2023

Still In My Arms, by Tandrima

Tandrima always had dreams to do her best and to make something of herself, but she was married young and never allowed to educate herself. Now single and with teenage daughters, she wrote this poem to examine the legacy of lost dreams and express her sadness for her earlier hope. The beauty of the poem demonstrates that she hasn’t lost all hope and that her potential is still there.

28th November 2023

London Underground, by Thanuja

This poem was written by Thanuja Hettiarachchi, one of the researchers on this project. Thanuja did her undergraduate degree (BSc in Business Administration) in Sri Lanka (2006) and undertook her postgraduate studies (MBA, Master of Business Administration) at Glyndwr University in Wales (2012).

28th November 2023

In This Sad World, by Mahin

During an interview with Shahsavar Rahman on 25 September 2020, Mahin (not her real name) read this poem she had written in Farsi, in which she conveys her feelings about the first six months of the pandemic. Her poem, translated by Shahsavar Rahman and Tom Cheesman in October 2021, still resonates and conveys the shock of this sad new pandemic world we still live in.

28th November 2023

Song of the Refugee, by Gail

Gail Sequeira is a talented writer, photographer and cook and this poem is her response to the plight of people seeking refuge.

28th November 2023

Womba, by Eric

“Womba is a Bakweri term, my mother tongue, meaning the smiles of a sleeping child. This poem was inspired by Gillian Clarke when she visited us at ourwriters work tent at the Hay Festival, May 2018. She advised us to revisit one childhood memory, for Gillian it was a rug, for me, it was a sound. I dedicate this poem in both English and Welsh to migrants around the world on International Migrants Day 2021”

28th November 2023

Nobody Knows Me, by Anonymous

A true story of an unaccompanied asylum seeking child in Swansea. Home office has assessed his age as 4 years older than his actual date and given him a random date of birth. He was placed in a shared house with unknown adults.

28th November 2023