Poetry and poverty 2: ‘Poverty needs’

During 2016, through our Poverty Media programme , many people got the chance to work with professional authors to write about their own experiences of poverty and exclusion. Some of this work was performed as Powerlines at the Manchester Literature Festival; poems were also written at a residential event in Windermere during the summer. We’ll be sharing all the poems here over the next few weeks. Today: ‘Poverty needs’.

Poverty needs

 
Poverty needs bravery and pluck, resilience and pride, it needs defiance.
Poverty needs understanding and support, communication and information, it needs security.
Poverty needs motivation and unity, tolerance and inclusion, it needs togetherness.
It needs community and compassion, it needs mentoring and motivation, it needs resolve.
Poverty needs hope. It needs love. It needs determination.
It needs you, it needs us, it needs action. Today.

Tony Walsh | Longfella | www.longfella.co.uk | tony@longfella.co.uk | @LongfellaPoet