Other Cultures
They love the foods that you eat
The braids in your hair,
Your sun-kissed skin
And the elaborate fabrics you wear.
They admire the henna on your hands
The fascinating rituals of old,
Your ancestors’ headdresses
And the stories of your history that are told.
But they do not love your fear
They do not love being you,
Your constant confusion is not theirs to claim
They disregard the suffering too.
The cruel slurs and stereotypes can stay
The pain of the past they won’t take,
The strain it leaves and the strain it brings
Of keeping your culture awake.
(Written by a Y8 student and inspired by a poem by Sydney Nash.)
Different
Who am I?
Half English and half Indian
Confusion swallows me
Who am I?
The pressure devours me
Whilst lost deep in my thoughts
Stuck between two languages
But still the question is unanswered
Alone
Cannot relate to anyone friends nor family
I grew up with both families and they aren't alike
Who am I?
I eat from both nations
Tikka Massala and Roast dinners
But eating with both families makes me a winner
I know who I am
My culture is British
A nationality which absorbs and gather off other cultures
I know who I am standing strong and proud
I am British
By Isaac B - Y8
My Culture
The
Spanish culture raised me.
I
would walk through the door,
smelling
paella cooking on the stove
and
hearing flamenco music
Our
white arched doorway
shows
the beautiful town
The
plaza filled with cafes and children playing,
the
sun beaming down
onto
the stone spire of the church
A
stall of oranges to my left,
with
Spanish women filling their baskets.
A
juice bar on the right,
crowded
with young families off to the pool.
Sometimes
I stop to appreciate
the
huge amount of cultures gathered altogether
Different
races, from different countries
But
not one of them is out of place.
We
all appreciate the Spanish culture,
our
language, our food and our way of life.
Where do I belong?
The pain was tearing me apart,
My heart felt like it was on fire,
I couldn’t breathe.
Where do I belong?
It felt like I was being tossed
around,
Sinking and floating at the same
time,
My two worlds couldn’t live together.
Where do I belong?
Both blooming in richness and
vibrancy,
Beautiful like satin and velvet,
Gentle as a calm ocean day,
But galaxies apart inside of me.
Piece by piece I was knitted back
together,
No longer two separate parts,
But a mass of beauty,
Forced into an unbreakable bond.
By a Year 8 Student
Asian
Discrimination
Chinese, Japanese,
Pekingese
you really
say that with such ease.
you really
want to make fun of people’s looks.
Why do you
look so pleased?
Do you
seriously think all Asians are Chinese?
And they are
the reason for a disease?
As you think
they only eat dumplings and noodles
people stare
at them in displease.
There is so
much more to Asia then you could ever comprehend;
all forty-eight
countries you can offend.
Stop all
this discrimination.
Stop so this
can end.
They have
been abused, bullied and murdered,
yet nothing
is on the news of how they've suffered.
Their wine-red
blood runs a river,
as we hunch
on our sofas, unmotivated, while they're slaughtered.
Take a stand
up on the Cliff of society.
Take a stand
like a firm rock; step out of the anxiety.
Take a stand
and respect all Asians.
Take a stand
and love our variety.
By Rachel B
– Y8
Where do I Belong?
He calls it “God’s own country”
He flies the Yorkshire flag.
My Grandpa tells us: ‘Yorkshire it’s so big
It is the best!’
It’s “end’ of road”, Yorkshire pud and Betty’s - tea n’
cake,
It’s cricket this and cricket that
And ‘Shall we play ball and bat?’
I’m not from there,
I don’t talk like that.
Cricket’s not my game,
I like Wenslydale and Red Leicester -
To me they’re all the same.
My life is so much bigger,
I want to see more stuff.
Because - for me - Yorkshire is really not enough.
I’m from Britain, the UK,
Id have liked to be from Europe.
I’m a citizen of the world:
My phone from China,
My trainers from America
And my bed from Sweden.
Yorkshire is a part of me,
But not the entirety.
An Identity Poem by A Year 8 Student
It's fine!
You can leave the lights on
in the living room,
Draining your electricity,
Causing the power plants to
pump out more of a fume.
But
guess what... It's fine!
You can discard your crisp
packet on the street
Allowing it to be swept away
by the wind,
Ending up in the Ocean sea.
But guess what... It's fine!
So now you may be thinking,
Should I make a stand?
Should I do something,
To save this very land?
Don't be silly,
Don't be a fool
Allow the water to rise,
Like in your neighbour’s
pool.
Keep your tap flowing,
Keep it on hot,
It's fine I tell you,
Or not!
The baths overflowing,
The fish are draining out
The floors all wet
Someone else will sort it, no
doubt.
Do something,
Do it now,
Stop the ice from melting
Or it'll end in a row!
Oh, you're so stupid,
Why d’you listen to me,
You melted them cubes of ice,
Don't you see?
The planets in manic,
The earth is doomed,
Everything is over,
It's all darkness and gloom.
Is it done?
It was over so quick
Had it all happened,
Like a flick of a switch?
What's this your fault,
Or was it mine?
I know one thing for certain,
It's no longer fine!
by Joseph T – Y8
In One
Restaurant by Georgina P
The smells from the oven
Make my taste buds tingle
The flavours combining
Being cooked in the middle
The lasagne cheese melting
The pizza cooking through
Spaghetti carbonara
And bolognaise too
Poppadoms with curry, and
Mango chutney
With naan breads too
Don’t eat them in a hurry
Baguettes about to burn
Snails being dead
Cheese stinking out the place
And that’s enough said!
Burgers in bread
Smelling really nice
The hot dogs in their buns
Let’s hope there’s no mice
Fish and chips
Being eaten on the beach
Don’t forget about the pasties –
That wouldn’t be a relief!
All these countries combined
Make the perfect restaurant
The food is all amazing
No matter where they came from
No comments:
Post a Comment