And suddenly, a mighty rushing wind
SS Empire Windrush arr. Tilbury 22 June 1948
Pentecost arrives on our shores:
tongues, a seismic wave of rhythms
on the dance floor, faith to move mountains;
exuberance to quake the church, Sunday best
to dazzle, music to drive the pulse,
spirit to quicken dry bones. Generations
and diversity. Faiths. Colours.
Oppression and resistance.
I, white as the cliffs of Dover,
stand at the door in wonder,
watching life stream through a body
with swift limbs and slow.
A ship seized from the Germans.
A minor tributary to the Thames
through Cotswold hills. A broad current
in the life of a changing nation.
Chris Fewings
See also
