FURD
The following is a message from Ralph Hancock of Chantwriters, who spent Sharrow Festival in a deckchair, collecting lines from festival-goers to put together into a poem inspired by the day:
Thank you for the wonderful lines you wrote for a poem to celebrate Sharrow Festival. I hope you like the edited version. One man wrote a whole poem from which we have selected the finale of the Festival poem and others wrote a haiku and limericks.
There was one line ‘I’m not very creative at the moment’ which made us think that on the contrary everyone at Sharrow Festival was part of the creation of a special day, even if they couldn’t put it into words on the spur of the moment.
We received the following thought provoking lines
I never met a white man who was white
and
There is power in writing
Well, you be the judges.
And we would like YOU to give the poem a title. Put your thinking caps on and please email it to Ralph: chantwriters@fsmail.net
P o e m f o r S h a r r o w F e s t I v a l
To the Committee, team and artists
Many faces, different races
These are the places where nations unite.
Colour, vibrancy, people together
This is a place where everyone excites,
To capture this miracle in a loving way,
Sharrow Festival doesn’t happen every day.
Look around and celebrate
The community starts within you,
Each voice speaks multicultural words,
Long may it continue.
We sing in rainbow harmony all races
In a place with no pain,
Where we get on with our neighbours
Though we’re not all the same.
And it’s good to be different
We need more compassion
We need more kindness
Toward every nation.
We come as a family to meet our friends
Walk across the grass in bare feet
All cultures harmonising
The world in fun, food and music meet.
A tiny world in miniature
a wonderful mélange of cultures,
a superb melting pot
of hope for all our futures.
And when the day has to end
We reflect on our festival in Sharrow
in the oasis of Mount Pleasant Park
the show with a heart and a wow!!!
10.vii.2004