Carnival Poems 2016

The Pop-Up Poetry Club spent June 2016 writing poems for our Carnival Together! project, which was supported by the Big Lottery Awards for All fund. Together! 2012 CIC was parading in the ‘Book of Dreams’ section of Newham Carnival, which this year was dedicated to storytelling.

The Dreams I Have

The dreams I have, some scary some not.
The ones I have, I like them a lot,
I have some dreams when I am still awake.

I move my eyeballs from side to side in a nice gentle motion.
Five times each way or maybe more.
Eagerly I do ‘cos I like to dream.
I’m more for the pleasant ones, but take them all as they come.

The scary ones, I blink to try to leave the scene.
Sometimes it works and other times it don’t.
The flying ones, I like. In one I felt like I was a swan flying in a flock, landing in a park with a maze-like look.

Another dream I had. I remember entering a glass enclosure with a mother and baby humpback whales. Within the enclosures was a glass door and as I exited it no water came out and I looked back in amazement.

I was in a football ground with my family and the Royal family of England. I know there’s meanings to all one’s dreams, but writing them down is the key thing.

Dreams

Dreams, yes I dream, I dream about many things.
I dream about a fantasy it bring
I dream about the songs and birds that sing.
Sometimes I dream of being a king and the rules that it brings.
Dreams that’s the sing I sing!
– at night I fade away and go to sleep and then my memories start to creep in my mind.
O how things seem so refined.
You couldn’t imagine the things that go through my mind!
They say that dreams can come true
That don’t mean me and you!
I put my head on the pillow and slowly fade away
My mind start to drift far far away.

Nightscape

In my dreams I am always back there
On the border between land and sea
Ahead, the tide.
Behind – what? Home?
No, it was never home
Home is where I wake
But in my sleep, I return
Whatever the year or season
Back to the beach
Where endless scenes play out
And the tide is always coming in.

You!

You I dream about you
Aristoteles, Pateles, Cateles, Lateles!!!
Emi said she doesn’t like mash potatoes
I don’t mind them but without the margarine and milk!!!
Aristoteles, Paeles, Cateles
I dream about you
You with the dearest eyes
Look at me now
My face, my body
Do I remind you of somebody
Aristoteles do I
Emi won’t have mash potatoes
Today she will have goin
Aristoteles, Pateles, Cateles. BUM
The war is over

Dreams

I had a laugh in my head
I had a chuckle inside
I was thinking where am I
Confused of the surroundings, I doze in and out of certainty
My eyes were hurting me
I was feeling lost in this wonderland of thoughts
Cloudy, but in the broken forest I found me upside down in the pond with fish
I had a laugh, where am I
I can’t think, but I sit down and drink while I think pond water
Where am I, I trip I fall off the cliff of laughter all the way to the crashing waves
I laugh inside a tidal wave into safety, it gave me
Into a safety raft of laughter

A Midsummer Day’s Dream

I dream of white beaches and blue skies
I dream of turquoise water and gulls’ cries
I dream of the sun beating down as I recline gratefully under a parasol
I dream of iced drinks and gentle splashes and cool shade

Outside the traffic roars, while the gulls rise from the rubbish tip
And the river, miles from the Ocean is dirty, grey and cold
The sun struggles against a yellow sky
And I feel tired, alone and old

Fall

Falling and falling
I keep on falling into one bright place…
Full of questions, full of confusion!
Why do I fall into this place
I jumped off the refrigerator when I was five,
I hit my head and haven’t stopped falling since that moment, now I’m 25 but I’m still falling continuously
I get butterflies in my belly, I spin and whirl and fall faster in my sleep – I weep as I don’t know what’s happening
I am confused and I question what I am doing in mid-air, how do I spare my confused emotions of falling
I keep on falling and falling
Where am I?
This bright space seems too strange
This bright open place takes me away from my reality

Tropical

In a blissful place
My thoughts fill the space
How beautiful is this blue sky
The sand is as gold as my mantelpiece
I treasure my moment with this dream
The sunshine is warm and mellow-yellow
Bright like fire
But keeps me warm and relaxed, the warmth of the sun’s rays, makes me immaculately joyful
I have always loved the sunshine
It feels divine, a moment of full bliss
I kiss the sky for the joy I feel is overwhelming
This tropical breeze makes me feel on top of the world. My mind takes me to oblivion
Excitement of seeing a gigantic coconut expanding and popping off the tree into my hands – makes my experience all worth while and I smile
Taking my time to drink from this beautiful, sweet watery coconut, I look up into the sky to be thankful of everything that I have
I look into the distance over the ocean, so blue and clear I see the sand particles bobbing along the sea bed, the tropical rainbow fish ask me how my day was and the turtle asks me why I’m so happy? And I just smile for a while and say
This tropical place is where I’m meant to be.

Dreams

Once I close my eyes and fade away I dream
For another day deep, deep, deep in my sleep at last
I get one chance to rest my feet! Sometimes I can’t
Remember a thing – only the alarm bell that rings
I toss and turn from side to side and it seems like I can’t get no rest
If you feel or take a look at my bed you would see it’s not the best,
bumps and breaks, and serious aches is really what I detest

My Imagination

Runs away with me whether it’s true or false
Or quite a mystery I could imagine about many
Things the mystery and the joy it brings
Some say don’t let your imagination run away with you
But who are they to tell me what to do
If they could look in my mind then they would have a clue

A Fantasy Dream

I float around on the back of Etrau
A massive flying dragon dog
Silver and gold scales and fluffy golden tail
He is my best friend
We glide and glide around the world to
Different countries and different universes
Monsters and crazy creatures chase us, with anger
And some greet us with a smile
But me and Etrau just laugh for a while…
All giggly and silly
We fly fast and slow, we glide over a mountain
We glide over a rock
And over the sea
We go from way up high and we dive deep into the sea to see our fish friends
What a strange nature they have,
they speak but I can’t hear anything, we twirl and whirl in the deep blue sea
the other strange sea creatures stare and glare at me
wondering what a flying girl and golden dragon dog of the skies are doing in the sea
so we just wave like royalty,
under the sea there is so much to do, so many wild creatures to look at compared to the distant land of mountain moon in the sky
Whenever we visit
They make moon rock pie which my teeth can’t handle
On the moon
We bounce when we march around
Like sponge we go
Up so high and come back down, we mess around.
I didn’t realise how dusty and bumpy
The moon would be
It gets dark and Etrau barks
And say let’s go home now it’s bed time.

Dreams

I dream do you dream I dream of sweet things
Like peaches and cream sweet
If you know what
I mean – I have sweet dreams sometimes, nightmares but who cares
I fade away in my bed and rest my sweet little head
I wake up in the mornings and open my eyes
And I still have the dream lingering in my mind
Déjà vu deja vu had finally come true
I look back at my dreams and it’s finally come true!

Dream Quest

Tendrils grasp along the path
Snaring the unwary
Hawks hover overhead
Watching with unblinking eyes
Deep in the trees
The hornets tease
While the green underfoot
Is damp and drear
Not a sign exists to show
My love was ever here
The land stretches out in front of me
Offering no answers

Dream Quest 2

Spell bound
Dream bound
Chasing my pet hound
Racing and rolling
Searching around
Spot a speck in the distance
Then he goes to ground
I must hunt the hunter
Until he is found

Carnival

When I think of Carnival, I think of Bright Colours
& Bright lights, a movement of happiness so imaginative
I took (part) in one moment of (art) on a cart
We went around playing music and walking
around town there was joy in my heart
Mainly because I took part – A day of expression
And day to express yourself and day to show
The world that you don’t really care. The spirit is in
the air. As we walked around crowds would
cheer. They loved our work, they loved our flair.

Biscuit Wars

My friend Glory and I
Went to a glorious costume making session –
In the Stratford library
Colourful & fantastic, bright & beautiful
We were walking around the room
We were talking around the room
We bounce off walls, we say nothing at all
But we stand tall & never fall
I love ginger, I love smashing biscuits together
Ginger nut biscuit is my favourite
Because it taste like Jamaican ginger
Fiery in my belly and tasty on my tongue
I throw them around the room.
We throw it at each other to discover the taste
We charge with our ginger nutty biscuits and go crazy
Clang & clang our biscuits, the bits fly everywhere
Crumbs all over the floor and laughter in the air
What a strange thing to do.
Having a biscuit war in the middle of the room is a strange thing to do
But I love to biscuit fight with Glory
When he tells this story, we will remember this story for ever –
The day we made our ginger nut biscuit war come to life!

Carnival

I can’t remember the last carnival I went.
But I do know the Notting Hill Gate Carnival.
No longer the happy place for kids to roam free
Danger lurking the corners like mouse traps
What happened to the joys of rattling shakers?
The beautiful noise ringing nationalities together in the London weather
Not always the brightest, but we’ll laugh in the rain
Knowing the clothes will soak in enjoyment
It’s the time of year to be free from stressful hours indoors of workloads
Every year you’ll hear violence cutting the carnivals short
The sky will not stay blue for long
There will be dark clouds inventing
Mayhem unleashing its evil head
Let’s bring the fun back to carnivals.
Let’s bring the African beats to the High Street
Bring on the Jolly Rice to the forefront
Rice and peas
The fried puffs so addictive
It’s a worldwide community get together
Let’s make photoshops of this moment
Memories are all carnival’s way of sharing the magic and happiness
Let’s build this an archive for 2016.
No more violence, more love in the circle.
Too many lost souls can’t ……… this beauty of humans
Bear in mind the music lives from steel pans to dancing queens
It’s a party to remember, make the spark turn into a Big Bang Theory.

Carnival

Carnival, carnival
We love to dance & sing
To the beat of the steel pans
Carnival, carnival
The crowd is loud and they shout
Loud and we are just having
Fun and we all take a run to
The music
Carnival
The carnival is live, the music
Gives good vibes, we look
Like a tribe under the
Dusk sky as I dance the
Night away

Carnival floats move through the town
Colourful costumes, rhythm and sound
Movement and swaying, spinning round
Sunshine and happiness fills the air
Crowds stand by dancing, singing and to stare
A public event for all to share

Heron

A beautiful heron has landed in Stratford Park
Walking around the fountain and pool
The pool and fountain is polluted with thick green algae
The heron walks around the circular edge then paddles tentatively
Lost and confused
Listening to the background bangs of building work
And traffic passing by
How has the heron come so far
Lost and confused?

Carnival

Colours: blue, green, yellow, red that’s what I saw
That’s what I saw at the Carnival
We took a stroll through the town with colourful
Banners all around. Black, white, pink or blue
We all had a great time at the Carnival Crew.