Not Years

Gold cherry

By catherine poarch

Thu, 23 Jul 2015
  • 8990 reads
24 comments
 

 

Blue sky

out of sight.

White sand

out of reach,

our prints already

vanished into the shallows.

The thieves

can be heard though,

that and the sound of poison

slowly escaping,

filling our lungs;           

and the ocean,

singing to us:

not years nor tides nor storms

can erode the truth.

 

http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/background/in-their-own-words

Certificate 12
Poem

Comments

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you very much for the cherries. I wasn't sure how to say what it's about apart from putting the Chagos website as a link.

 

Submitted by london_calling79 on

I had no idea of the plight of these people. Their suffering is very eloquently put here and has echoes for all those people who have had their land taken from them.

 

Submitted by Bee on

Moving and well worth remembering. Glad you put the link - all made sense, sadly.

Lovely poem.

Bee

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you, Bee and London Calling. I appreciate your comments very much. I worry I haven't made it claer that it was their dogs who were gassed. It was just a way in to trying to highlight what the Chagossiains are still campaigning for though.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I wonder whether you need the link actually on the piece, Catherine. A complex sadness after so may years. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you, Rhiannon. Good advice. I'll fiddle with it a bit. smiley

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

you could also put a photo up? (don't forget to choose only something which has permission to publish elsewhere)

for anyone who didn't know before this poem, catherine's written (beautifully) about this subject in the past - you should check it out!

 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you very much, Insert. Great feedback, indeed. I'm not 100% sure I could download a photo without messing up but the main thing is finding one. I could ask and see what I can do. Thanks very much for your help.smiley

 

Submitted by EB on

Great that you highlighted the plight of the people here. The link made everything in the poem clear.

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you EB and for taking the trouble to check the website too. Very much appreciated.smiley

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

This is a lovely piece of writing on its own. However reading the link has made me sick. And this happened in the sixties. I know the UK and US governments are indeed taking us for a ride but to hear the plight of these people, plucked from what sounds almost like Utopia. So much unjustice is swept away and hidden forever, we really need to hear these stories. Where does the anger go? 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you so much, Jane. It's good that you're angry. It has been so hidden. I was a child in Seychelles at the time some of it happened and my parents and friends of theirs knew nothing about it, it was covered up then and glossed over now. All I can say is - the UK Chagos support group has just, today, started another petition. Although we all get fed up of signing petitions and they often get nowhere, it's still worth a go and keeps it public. If you would like to, here's the link they sent -
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104824/sponsors/vYD02WOuA3lviJS...

Thanks again. smiley

 

 

Submitted by london_calling79 on

Signed. Needs five signatures to go live. Hopefully your lovely poem will keep this in the spotlight.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you so much. Yes, I just signed myself and then they said, as you'd know too, that when they got five they'd send another link to pass on. I have to be off out soon but if I get another link I'll add it later, unless someone beats me to it. Have a lovely day, London Calling. Despite the soggy weather!

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Signed. I tried to sign the outdated one earlier this morning after further reading. Keep the pressure on.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Catherine,

I read your poem yesterday and have to admit to not understanding it, but now I've read exactly what it's about, I think you've described adequately the perils suffered.

An honest piece of writing.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you Jane and Jenny for your comments and support. I've just seen that the petition was rejected by the Government. However, I'm sure they'll try it again. x

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I wasn't able to add a photo to the poem, despite excellent advice from Bear, but if anyone's interested here's a link to a couple of beautiful, colourful paintings by Chagossian artist, Clement Saitous, advertised on the UK Chagos facebook and webpage. They are part of an exhibition of his paintings in New York. yes

http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/#!Sangren-New-Exhibition-from-Chagossian...

 

 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Here's a link to anyone interested to a very short interview with some writers and activists I admire a lot.

http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/#!John-Pilger-Benjamin-Zephaniah-join-Ch...

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Here's a link to anyone interested to a very short interview with some writers and activists I admire a lot.

http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/#!John-Pilger-Benjamin-Zephaniah-join-Ch...

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Catherine Poarch has campaigned long and hard for Chagossians forcibly expelled from their beautiful islands.  The news this week that the International Court of Justice ruled this illegal seems like a very late move in the right direction - although the British government has rejected the jurisdiction of the court.  My thoughts go out to those still yearning to walk on those white sands again - so this poem from a few years ago is our pick of the day - do share.

Submitted by Di_Hard on

brilliant poem.

I didn't know about the dogs.

It is all so dirty mean and shaming.Thank goodness the International Court stood up for justice

 

Submitted by celticman on

very sad. 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I can't tell you how touched I am that you remembered this and have highlighted it through my poem. Thank you so much. I don't think I should take credit for any campaigning though. It's a very easy and small thing to put the story and the poem on the website. Very much an armchair job. The UK Chagos Support group and other Chagos groups are the amazing campaigners who have never given up and to their credit have also never resorted to anything except peaceful methods. You can understand why people do otherwise when you see how badly they have been treated. Good luck to them in everything.