(Third-generation British Indian and Pakistani)
my ancestors built bridges with their spines,
ones that told the story of multiple generations
of resilience in practice and the strength in hope.
i carry this culture like an heirloom,
prioritising preserving my culture over the inevitable british discomfort
as i navigate how to exist in the middle of two worlds
who not only vary in physical distance
but vary in the very essence of their communities.
i am constantly left to wonder
if people see me as too brown to be british
or perhaps too british to be truly brown.
they can try to deny that this soil was ours to inhabit
but we laid the groundwork of a society
when my parents beared bruised backs for work
and built entire communities from the remains of
of a culture that was left in the south of asia.
my heritage is not to be contested,
for i am the face of the combination of generations
who fought treacherous seas to get me here.
i keep my culture in my warm embrace
whilst adopting the comfort of western fashion,
pairing my favourite oversized t-shirts with gold jhumkas and flared jeans.
i uphold my own definition of british south asian,
one that embodies who i am and where i come from
and encapsulates the beauty in converging cultures.
i will continue to foster a true sense of belonging
for me in my home away from home.
Poem by Ramadaan Ibro
Poem by Deepak Dhuna
