- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2128
No one puts their children in a boat,
unless the water is safer than the land.
No one would choose days and nights
in the stomach of a truck,
unless the miles travelled meant
something more than journey …
The insults are easier to swallow than
finding your child’s body in the rubble
These lines come from a poem called “Home,” by Warsan Shire, a British poet born to Somali parents. The poem conveys the harrowing reality of refugees forced to flee their homes for safety. The poem is featured in an anthology of poetry Poetry for the Many selected by British socialist MP and former Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, leader of Britain’s largest and most influential union. Both men have dedicated their careers to advancing workers’ rights and social justice.
The title echoes the slogan “For the many, not the few,” used by the UK Labour Party when Corbyn was at the helm. That phrase derives from a famous Shelley poem in which he exhorts the working people of England to recognise their collective power: “Ye are many, they are few.”
In essence, this collection is a call to arms. It celebrates the working class and their struggles while deepening our understanding of our shared humanity. Poetry for the Many encourages readers to see poetry not just as an art form, but as a means of mobilising for change, for the many – not the few.”
