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Burning a Dream 1.

The following is the first poem I recited at the Y nearly two weeks ago. It is based on my own personal experiences of being a minority Asian in Barnsley, South Yorkshire in the 1980's. My family then moved to Leicester where I faced bullying at a different level. Based on feedback from my previous performance, I chose to recite this poem in freestyle, without music, to really capture the essence of the emotions. This is how it went.

Lassie from Barnsley.

The only brown face,
People would stop and stare,
Walk the streets in a sari,
You feel like an alien.

Paki, brownie, blackie
Heard it all.
Skin color 
 An automatic disqualification.

A yorkie lass,
Strong accent.
The family moved here,
A culture shock.

First day at school,
The lead in the school play,
Bad idea
With a broad northern accent!

Top that off with:
Geeky glasses,
An unusual name,
Asking for trouble.

We blended in more,
On Belgrade road,
Massi’s in slippers and sari’s,
Business as usual.

Still an identity crisis,
The turbulent adolescent years,
I always remained
The lassie from Barnsley.


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