I
have some works of art in my house. Some are on display, others are stored for
safe keeping. They are items made by my children and grandchildren, presented
to me with love and received with great delight. Some are glittery and shiny,
others are not, but to me these special gifts are treasured prizes which fill
me with joy. Being a grandparent is a little easier than being a parent, I have
found, as the grandchildren usually – not always – go home, and I don’t have
full responsibility for making important decisions about them. My glittering
prizes are the children themselves, though if there is something precious, it
is the teaspoon fashioned from tinfoil by my son when we forgot to take one on
a picnic. It has a space in my display cabinet of meaningful things.
One
of my favourite modern day poet / writers is Lemn Sissay, MBE, former
Chancellor of Manchester University. In 2021 he was appointed OBE for services
to literature and charity. Last year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Literature. He is a trustee of the Foundlings Museum. Not bad going
for someone who grew up in the care system, was treated unfairly by a family
and repeated let down badly by social workers and social services at the time.
He got justice eventually, but nothing could possibly compensate enough for his
early life. Reading his memoir, ‘My Name Is Why’, broke my heart and I will
salute his strength of character for evermore. He founded the charity Gold From
the Stone Foundation which supports care leavers and every year provides
Christmas dinners. His glittering prize is doing what he can to help others.
Here is one of his quatrains,
‘How do you do it?’ said night.
‘How
do you wake and shine?’
‘I
keep it simple,’ said light.
‘One
day at a time.’
Lemn Sissay OBE, FRSL
Thanks for reading, Pam x
