POETRY
Featured
Hayley Headley
This poem unpacks the unique experience of being a black woman in the world today, as racism and gender discrimination are always inseparable issues. It illustrates the accumulated impact of micro and macro-aggressions that eventually lead into an explosion of (warranted) anger, an emotion that dominates the damaging stereotype that has been placed upon us for decades: the angry black woman.
Ellen Waters
This poem explores the apathetic attitude towards the climate crisis and the ease with which it can be overlooked in favour of less disagreeable and daunting topics. It seeks to highlight the way in which people become spectators, feeling horror at the state of things whilst at the same time maintaining a detachment which prevents genuine progress from taking place. Ultimately, the piece shows how the imminence of this threat facing the younger generation can also work as a powerful motivator that stirs people to take action.
Antonia Langford
This poem is based on collective sentiments experienced by youth climate activists I encountered through the Fridays for Future demonstrations. It explores the recent intergenerational lens that has been applied to narratives about the environment and our duty/responsibility towards it. Originally a spoken word piece, it leans on the rhythmic and aural tropes of activist chants and anthems, seeking to connect to audiences on a visceral as well as linguistic level.
Anushka Sisodia
This poem seeks to reflect on the relationship between earth and humankind and provoke a sense of grief for ‘Mother Nature’, emphasising the need to connect with, protect and cherish our planet.
Jonathan Chan
This poem emerged from a solemn recognition that challenges faced by migrant workers are invisible to the general Singaporean populace: debts to agents, yearning for their families, physical injuries from laborious work, and poor quality food.