An Alien Sends a Postcard from Ridley Road

"Pearl Cookware gives perfect cooking always.”

Pans are stacked, gleaming in the sun

Inside the reflections are people

But they do not eat themselves.

This is a market.

 

Red is hot pepper and vine tomatoes

Green is striped when Jacques

And dappled when lime

White is inside yam and outside garlic.

This is colour.

 

Dried fish swim in air on shelves

Tropical fish are frozen

A herd of mortified goats’ hooves lie still

There are kidneys like cobblestones after rain

And tripe like bathmats for children.

This is carnage.

 

A hairdresser offers 42 possible arrangements

Of corn-row braiding, like sea shells

Another has 72 variations.

This is capitalism.

 

You can buy “Sex in the City” eau de parfum

And “chic boutique fake nails”

“So natural,” patterned like a gaia melon.

Men’s patterns are stripes and squares

Women’s clothes have circles and flowers.

This is gender.

 

Black Cherry, Black Love, Jamaican Breeze,

African Violet – this is incense.

Love Supreme smells like bubblegum and toothpaste

Angel like clean and sugar and smoke

Eternity, green, like the idea of a forest.

 

There is a smell of scent leaves and marijuana

And the word dope printed on T-shirts.

“Come up, come up people, where are you?

Julies are 50 pence.”

This is atmosphere.

 

Reggae is counting to four slowly

Like plantain ripening under one star.

Drum and bass and vocal is counting

To four fast, like the wind

And wind is the planet sighing.

 

 

 

By Sam

(Inspired by a poem by Craig Raine about a Martian sending a postcard home.)

 

This poem is an example of the writing that takes place at SHP's new Creative Writing workshop. The workshop  has been running for a couple of months and in that time we’ve eaten chocolate, visited the local New River and pretended to be aliens (see above). Coming up will be writing to music, a trip to the nearby Estorick Museum and much more! Everyone can write and our group will help you to do so in a fun and supportive environment. Whether you’re a complete beginner or someone who writes everyday, you’re very welcome to come along and join in.  Please contact 02075208660 or 02073546638 and ask about the Creative Writing Workshop to find out more. The group meets on Fridays 3-5pm.