Poems for a broken world

Everyday

Eating war for breakfast

Making tea

Doomscrolling and liking and hearting destruction

Making the bed

Becoming eloquent in violence

Choosing clothes to wear

Dying a little in fragments

Walking to the train station

Living with the options of opting in and out

Waiting in queues

Feeling pain so far away

Buying flowers

Touching tenderness through screens

Greeting the neighbour

Hearing screams at the tip of fingers

Buying bread and milk

In Solidarity

Dear Palestine

You do not need my words

They are glib and empty

But they are all I have for now.

You are in my dreams.

Dear Congo

You do not need my shame

It is useless

My ignorance hollows me out

But I carry it with me anyway.

You are in my prayers.

Dear Sudan

You do not need my sadness

It is a weight that cannot hold a nation

But it is all I have.

You are in my heart.

Dear Azania

You may never exist outside of our songs

Your presence is a promise that we should do better

You are in my spirit.

Dear World

You insist on breaking apart

Leaving nothing behind but tombs.

It is not inevitable: we will swallow ourselves and eviscerate.

But for now, we are here.

Breaking.