‘Some people use poetry to express heartache, but I use it to broadcast a message’. Below: three of the best political poems
I’ve been writing poems for 10 years. It started with rap music: I was 14 years old, listening to artists like Dizzee Rascal, Tupac and Nas. The music was entertaining, but it was the poetry that got me. I began to understand language as a tool for sharing thoughts; even though you can’t see me right now, by reading this piece, you are reading my mind. This is your brain and my brain connecting.
Some people use poetry to express heartache, but I use it to broadcast a message. My message is that everyone has something to contribute. Much of society is a zero-sum game: for someone to win, someone else has to lose. I don’t think this is necessary – there’s no need for anyone to lose.
Related: ‘I’m from a community that doesn’t often get to represent themselves’
Related: What's poetry's role in protest politics?
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