This is the poem I posted today on fb, it’s about a fire that was deliberately started whilst I was staying at my friends flat in Thorthon Heath. My daughter was 2 1/2 and we went over to spend a week, just to get away from the whole inner city living thing. ok to get away from the Ghetto. At the time I was a struggling single parent living in Stockwell.
I remember it being a nice summer with lots of time spent in the communal garden. it was a big house consisting of six two bedroom flats. Tenement flats?
There was a rambling Italian family upstairs, a yuppy couple with a Macaw, I remember saying to them all casually like “When you get a chance could they bring their bird down”. They kept insisting I came up with my daughter anyhow eventually one day I made it up and there it was this beautiful colourful huge bird. I was like now I understand, my daughter saw it as well it was truy magnificent. On the other side was an elderly retires woman very nice if I remember rightly someone reliable whom you could borrow a cup of sugar from. That was it , well that's all I remember, my friend lived in the apartment on the ground floor to the right of the house.
We went to bed one night then about 2 in the morning she woke me and my daughter saying she could smell smoke and there was a orange glowing light at the back door. I quickly woke my daughter threw a blanket over her and went to the front of the house, where the other neighbours in the block had congregated. The fire brigade arrived promptly and put it out. A few days later they came over with the police, they questioned us at length, only after they had left then we spoke with the Italian Woman upstairs, we were under the impression that everyone was interrogated in this way. No just us, apparently they had a been a spate of them Arson Attacks on Black households. Really 1989 really 6 miles from Brixton and the riots and all them Black Folks. So what do you know two women and a child fare game for Racist Arsonist
I tried to leave the plantation
They burnt my daughters clothes
Started a fire they made me return to the fold
I tried to leave the plantation
They burnt my daughters baby grow
Started a fire the smell got right up our nose
I tried to leave the plantation
They broke into the garden at night
We woke to the glow of a burning light
I tried to leave the plantation
They collected all the clothes
Put it on fire for what reason we don’t know
I tried to leave the plantation
The police asked us questions
Like if we should know
I tried to leave the plantation
They burnt my baby daughter's clothes
A few miles away from the fold
I tried to leave the plantation
It seems like a bizarre dream I know
This is true I only hope it never happens to you
