NATIONAL POETRY DAY

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sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" font_size="" fusion_font_family_text_font="" fusion_font_variant_text_font="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" text_color="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] October 7 was National Poetry Day. In recognition of it, the Dost project is pleased to share two pieces of work from a friend and prominent member of the BAME community, Pramod Subbaraman. Pramod is an NHS Dentist who works in Hull, Grimsby and Scunthorpe. He returned to poetry during the first COVID19 lockdown in 2020 and has since been published in the UK and USA in print and online. A poem of his has also been accepted recently in South Africa. He helps run the poetry workshop for NHS workers in the region where he works. Here, Pramod shares two of his poems with the Dost project. If you would like to share any of your work for publication in the next issue of the newsletter, please email us. “Kingston” It is at the end of the line Nobody goes there, don’t bother It is a deprived city Just don’t waste your time It is one of those ‘has been’ places Nothing to see there anymore It is full of drugs and crime Just read the local paper It has its problems, no doubt By try reading a different paper It is one of those ‘can be’ places There is a new energy in this city It does not have to be a deprived city Just make some time to fix it It is a destination, Hull is home Soon, everybody will want to go there “Kingston” was first published in York-based magazine Forge Zine (https://linktr.ee/forgezine) “31st October 1984” That earliest political memory A boy, seven years old Sees faces Worried faces Of adults in his life School teachers His mother A lot of women All worried about it A woman had been killed A woman just like them Women who ran his young life She ran all their lives The Prime Minister The Iron Lady of India He would go on to meet Other strong women Even marry one But the memory Of that moment Lingers There never will be Another Indira Gandhi Pramod can be reached on Twitter on @briteeth