Listen to the world’s best poetry read out loud.
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2024: Defend
by Sheena Hussain
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2024: Defend
After Simon Armitage
It’s Nakba again: comes in waves
often without warning, always
with warfare.
1.1 million leaflets scatter like rain
move/migrate/displace
(ethnic cleansing: never again).
Women clutch pillows, floral bedding
on mounted mules, carry a
load of seven decades and half.
It’s Nakba again: 1948, remember?
What was learnt, if not how to
repeat catastrophe as if a sad song?
An ambulance is firing smoke
saving the saved, a duty suddenly
smashed point-blank.
No ceasefire here: no round table of men
in suits, no fresh accords,
which country will sit for peace?
Blocks of flats buckle in an already
narrow lane. Shifa is bleeding,
ice cream vans freeze the dead.
It’s Nakba again: morning stale breath, a kitten
survives an onslaught
this is a gaping hell hole
A boy, 11 I think, pink t-shirt
sharp as knife strikes the lens
Where are the Arabs? Where…?
Propaganda is bias,
is enemy, is white phosphorous illegal?
It’s a long war again:
night sky holds flickering embers of light
a masjid is toppled, Allahu
Akbar is all the sustenance they have.
This poem first appeared in Swerve Magazine 3.
A special thank you to our WordView 2024 poets.
Hear from two of our winners this year on what the Archive and winning has meant to them:
From William Wyld:
'As a neuro-diverse poet who has struggled to engage with books, reading aloud made literature accessible to me. The Poetry Archive is such a valuable resource and to be included as a winner is a wonderful surprise, giving me validation as an artist, the motivation to keep writing and performing, and the confidence to submit my work widely. I recorded at the last minute, walking by a river through the undergrowth as the light was fading, so my poem could be heard with the movement of the landscape. It was an experiment, but good things happen when we take risks.'
From Sarah Morris:
'I felt that I would enter the PAN competition as my last submission of the year as it is a fun one to do. I enjoy reading out my poems and doing videos and bonus with PAN as they are put up online. I like that these poems are accessible by everyone.
When I got the ' you are a winner' email – I felt super impressed that I had been included for a top 20 selection – I felt validated that my work has been recognised and it has inspired me to keep on writing and re drafting next year.'
From Nuri Rosegg:
'A British friend told me about PAN. I’m grateful to her and to PAN that I could enter this fabulous poetry competition. This year (just like last year when I entered for the first time) I felt grateful, excited and a little bit nervous due to the video-making challenge. However, it was great fun to read out loud my own piece of work. It’s another dimension being able to present my poem to the audience “live” from around the world than just having them read my text. Being one of the winners this year makes me so happy, grateful and proud. Thanks, PAN!'
From Julie-Ann Rowell:
"It is an honour to have my reading of my poem ‘Newsworthy’ chosen for the Poetry Archive Now! WordView 2024 project, representing poets writing in English in 2024. This particular year has been deeply challenging, and I wanted to write about George Orwell for whom the exchange of information and how this can be distorted was of prime significance. His world view is as relevant today as it ever was. Poetry has an important task to do in representing what is happening in the world and the Poetry Archive does a fantastic job of storing recordings of poets at work for future generations. Hearing poets’ voices brings their words into a more personal and lasting frame, and the Archive is free for anyone to listen in and find their favourite poet or discover a new one. I am so proud to be a part of it."
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2024 playlist