my old foe

sunset

oh my old foe

i have known you for a long time.

memories of you span more than half my lifetime

and goes beyond the existence of my grandparents and great grandparents.

you are an old adversary lying in wait.

a wall between me and my fellow citizens,

always keeping me on my defence.

 

you make me a foreigner in my own country

where disbelieving citizens welcome me with open arms

because they think I bring tourism dollars.

you rear your sinister head every time i return

and make me wonder if this is why i left.

 

you make me need to defend my existence

as fellow citizens look at my skin and deem me inferior.

leaving bitter tastes in their mouths;

some not even knowing why my very presence makes them feel this way.

you make me wonder if there is a better life elsewhere.

 

you sit on my shoulder - ever present

constantly putting me in conflict

with those i know, those i love and those who know nothing about me.

placing me at once above and below,

othered amongst equals who are blinded by shades of grey

a legacy rooted deep in hearts and minds.

 

my old foe, inherited like gene

your name rests on my tongue unawares

like the ghost of whisper,

a secret most don’t even know they have

how you want me to bow and bend

under the weight of a divided nation.

well i promise you, redemption is at hand;

because the present-future of our melting pot of nations has other ideas...

Shannon Meade

she/her(s)

I am an Antiguan living in the UK, I’m Intersect’s Resident Historian and I’m currently working in the education sector.  I am passionate about the of agency museums within their communities and how these platforms can be used to break boundaries and stimulate contemporary discussions through artefacts in their collections. An advocate for participatory events that have a think outside of the box approach, I believe in the creative power informal cultural events have in making  museums matter to their communities. I love sustainable fashion, and second hand finds in charity shops, and if I'm not pottering in my garden, I can be found kicking back with a good book. I consider myself an on-off poet and collage artist where I love to incorporate surrealism and the odd flower - because who does not like flowers?

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