How did the parents feel about the project?
We really did get a lot of support. As the kids went home and told their families about what they were doing, it really did seem that everyone was very happy with what was happening. And when we put the poems up on Facebook, we heard that parents, guardians, even aunts and uncles were seeing the poems and thinking they were great. Cross community work isn’t easy and there are still a lot challenges with it, but this particular project just seemed to work really well.
Poem for the Boys of Northern Ireland
You judged me because I was late to work, stumbling in with bloodshot eyes and dark
circles painted underneath.
You say, us young men are ungrateful, drunk, lazy, unfit. You call me lost, you say I am
from the dirty neighborhood.
You ask me to work when my hands are cut from bricks in my living room. Shattered
glass sliced my feet, leaving trails of blood marking my path forward.
You ask me to smile at work, smile through busted bloody lips, black eyes and broken
teeth.
You say be thankful for your life when my brother took his own, crushed into the ground
by anger, wanting rather to feel the peace of death than the unrelenting terror of life.
You demand I show up,
When every sunrise brings darkness.
You ask that I be a man, when all that means is using my fists instead of my heart.
Look at me! Look at the man I could be,
Without busted lips,
Without bleeding feet,
Without broken heart,
Without battered home.
Look at me for the man I will be,
When our days are not spent,
Fighting to live.
What were you trying to achieve with the project?
We did have a lot of aspirations with this project. Sometimes we as community workers struggle to think about using different methods, and we sometimes don’t see how creative and imaginative our young people are. It is often the case that people don’t see how much hope they have for the future.
Obviously we wanted to reduce tensions between young people living in the interface areas. We wanted to start developing leadership skills amongst the young people as well, and above all we were looking to find a creative outlet for those young people.
Poems for Peace
Northern Ireland Poetry for Peace Initiative
Shamrocks Blooming
I was running through the fields of my homeland,
Dusk looming on the horizon,
When I stumbled on a field of shamrocks.
Their green leaves were shy and closing,
Like a young girl embarrassed of herself.
I stopped and spoke to them,
“Bloom for me,
Show me your sea-green shine,
Before the sun sets.
Show me your sea-green shine,
For I am the best.”
The shamrocks spoke to me,
Their voice shimmered like the ocean
Under the winds,
“We bloom for all,
All people are worthy.”
My anger boiled,
I was blood red with the offense,
“I demand you bloom for me,
It makes the most sense.
My rosary sits close to my heart,
My lips are red with communion wine,
I pray to the Virgin, I am set apart,
Bloom for me, I am the finest.”
The shamrocks shook,
They stood up to me,
“We bloom for all,
All people are worthy.”
I changed my direction,
Sure, the shamrocks think forward,
“I am the Protestant’s dream,
I know my Bible, memorized in order,
I have a legacy and influence,
For me, you should give more.”
The shamrocks shook their stems,
Shook their clovers,
“We bloom for all,
All people are worthy.
They told me moreover.
I stomped and I yelled,
“You’re lying, you see,
That all glory and honour,
It should be given to me!
How dare you make us equal
How dare you say this here,
That all of my enemies,
Should be considered so dear!”
The shamrocks they opened,
And grew tall, full of spring,
They looked me in my eyes,
And began to sing,
“We bloom for all
Who has been lost,
For the children who felt
They had no hope,
We bloom for your classmate,
Whose home was destroyed,
For the boy who drowned
In alcohol,
We bloom for the sister,
Whose father is locked away,
Whose son can’t shake
The substance away,
We bloom for those
Whose hearts have been broken,
Whose lives have lost direction
We bloom for all
Whose blood pumps red
Whose eyes stream blue,
Those hearts are strong,
We bloom for love,
For hope
For faith
For you.”
What did the project achieve?
One of the developments was that quite a few of the community leaders who had been around for a while started using poetry as part of their practise. I even started to write some poetry myself looking at issues which were taking place around the world, like Israel/Palestine for example.
The young people also started taking part in podcasts and now we are looking to develop a Poetry Slam and possibly other projects beyond that. The young girls were able to perform their work at a Peace Conference so that meant the project had an immediate outcome, and the young boys were interviewed by RTE. We certainly raised the profile of these kids that were part of this project. And one of the best things was that the young girls were happy to work with the young lads and at some point there will be a joint programme.
On top of that, we have had a new group of young lads who want to work with us. I think that is because quite a few of the young people have started to develop their skills as influencers and leaders.
All in all we are delighted with the success of the project.
For more information on Limestone United see – www.facebook.com/limestoneunited
