In spring we... become like our grannies. Here’s our April collaboration. Illustration: ‘Sketch 20 - plant spa day’ from her Substack daily sketches series, by Sofia Hericson @sofiahericson Words: the poem ‘Plant swap’ by Wieke Vink @comm.unitypoetry [Description: an illustration of a balcony, with many plants, plant pots, gardening tools and a black and white cat. Whilst this illustration is being shown, the poem ‘Plant swap’ is being played, as written and performed by the poet Wieke Vink. Full text of the poem: Plant swap With small clips of life My house is turning into a nursery As we share stories of our nans with our friends Of growing up in her hair salon, standing next to chairs, listening to aunties of all job roles and none; the grandmother who loved reading; the ones sharing our beds or the one Who’d never even find the time to comb her hair; curls in a rumble, hands in soil; always moving plants, repotting, replotting, with grandfathers shaking their heads at the repeated effort – each year, for years. Like carte blanche, at 35 I’m cutting into ancestry I am becoming like them, both my friends and my nans As we see our grandmother’s laugh in our children’s eyes Us, women who have come from previous women We speak about war and threat, whilst we slowly Thread the traces of our little ones on our hands We exchange glances When winter comes, soup recipes When spring comes, plant babies As for me, I hold onto the word ‘plumeau’ First spotted in my materfamilias’ house And I remember thinking ‘Look at us, using French words - and we’re not even fancy’ As the world keeps turning in on itself, in a frenzy And I wonder whether a child will ever think of me like that As the person who takes the plants out, who dusts off the world with fancy words in artificial colours.]

Last night I drew my beautiful friend Wieke, who is a magnificent spoken word poet over at @comm.unitypoetry I drew her lovely face on procreate and used shades of blue as this is her favourite colour. The different hues of blue is also present in Dutch porcelain and Portuguese tiles which made it extra special working across both our heritages. Interestingly enough I have just learnt in my Japanese subscription box that, indigo blue is a very notable colour in Japan. 💙💙💙

🪁 Every child deserves space to play. Space to wonder, imagine, explore and learn. "A poem from the playground" captures the magic of play. Through our service, we work to create a little piece of this magic for children on the move every day. No child should be denied access to space to play. As long as we are needed, we will work to create these spaces, and advocate for change. 🌻 To keep doing this, we need your help. With only two days left of our match funding campaign, it's your last chance to have your support doubled. Whether you donate or shop our tote bags and Christmas cards, every little makes twice the difference! Help us continue to create space for children on the move to play - head to the links in our bio to find out more. 🧡 Thanks to Wieke, a new member of our Board of Trustees, for writing this gorgeous poem! #PlayForEveryChild

Last year, I was able to share a poem at a local ceremony on the occasion of the 4th of May @nationaalcomite4en5mei May 4 is the day on which the Netherlands commemorates victims of war. 81 years since the end of the Second World War in the Netherlands, it reminds us that peace is not a given and that so many stories are still untold or unresolved. It shows the importance of speaking up against all forms of racism and discrimination - today and everyday. My poem was about family, strangers and what we might see in each other’s eyes. Time and time again, I am reminded of what it means to show up for each other, to share kindness and a piece of bread, to assume that our words matter. Today, on the occasion of May 5, the brilliant Dutch singer @karsudonmez is Ambassador for the Freedom. I wholeheartedly encourage us all to take in her reflections: to see what it is that you can do, no matter how big or small, to co-create freedom, help where possible and make life a bit easier for others. Pictured: photo of Wieke at the reading of her poem. The poet is standing with a mic in front of her, against a backdrop of trees. Photographer: Jan Oberink.

Today is @londonmarathon We can’t wait! Live coverage starts at 8:30 AM on the @bbcsport or - of course - in your favourite local street. Illustration: ‘Marathon Day’ by Sofia Hericson, @sofiahericson Poem: ‘Heroes’ by Wieke Vink, @comm.unitypoetry [Description: an illustration of a colourful scene. A street is shown, full of runners and racers - both club and charity runners. Outfits include an eagle, a shark, an icrecream and a rhino. On the right, there is a wheelchair racer. At the bottom of the drawing, cheering arms are being portrayed, with confetti and musical instruments. In the background, you see famous London landmarks, like the @londoneye , and banners that read ‘You got this!’, ‘run run run’ and ‘go, go, go’. Whilst this visual is being shown, the poem ‘Heroes’ is being played, as written and performed by poet Wieke Vink. Heroes Some people get to meet their hero once in a lifetime Some get to cheer them on with friends Some get to share their homes with them After the heroes have completed Or started This race of prestige Salt on heads Snacks at the ready The rhinos, Big Bens and George Pig’s daddy On the sidelines Club music mixed with Tambourines and banners The racers flowing through the city like rivers Wheels and feet Making the most glorious stampede With personal fire or holy motivation When the going gets dire But there is a water station And the spectators, First aiders, Traffic regulators Acting as if we would always just come out together like this in the sun Taking courage at the London Marathon Because today, dear heroes It’s all about the energy and atmosphere *You’ll get there* So pop an energy gel Find your high fives Tap some cardboard if need be And - No cutting corners at Cutty Sark Just follow the spark Lightheartedly cross bridges Factor 30 on noses and legs as you Bounce along with the people calling out the names of runners from T-shirts Causes at the front or back No backing off now *Hear those ‘come on’s* For the champions and the masses alike No matter your finish time Just by starting You have already won Mile after mile The elite run for your muscles and our hearts].

At the start of spring, a poem about multilingualism - (mostly) in Dutch. Dit gedicht heet ‘Meervoud’. With much awe and gratitude to all who are sharing our languages with the next generation - parents, grandparents, teachers. A special thanks to my local community of women raising multilingual Londoners - your words for ‘stork’ have fuelled this poem! Pictured: storks living with humans in Portugal and Morocco. My favorite place to go visit storks in Western Europe is @biotopwildpark_anholterschweiz [Description - text of the poem ‘Meervoud’ (in Dutch): Als je me vraagt naar mijn woorden
aan deze kant van de zee hoor ik de toonhoogte van thuis Maar ik weet dat het niet zo eenvoudig is want taal zit niet altijd in gepaste zinnen geen veiligheidsdeken daar waar onze woorden en acties over de wereld werden uitgestreken en vaak niet gelijk en het is gebleken dat ik de taal van mijn ouders niet spreek wel versta wel mee kan zingen als de liedjes komen L Ik weet van verhoudingen in klanken die me dierbaar zijn, maar vreemd klinken uit mijn mond Ik weet van de nuance in grammatica En de stork, de ooievaar die uit het Zweeds en Nedersaksisch het Nederlands overslaat me terugvindt in het Engels en in vertrouwde vormen naast me neerstrijkt en met me meekijkt want we blijven hunkeren naar innige tonen en dus geven we graag in veelvoud onze talen aan de kinderen door zoals het leven wordt gebracht gewikkeld in zachte doeken door zij die onze huizen bezoeken gandras stócach bocian cegonha laclac woorden als een almanac voor hen die met ons de wereld bewonen in de hoop dat er in de toekomst in het voetlicht van gebaard, geschreven en gesproken in streken groen van de regen en dor van de droogte in straten getegeld met meertaligheid dwars door dialecten heen weer met meer ruimte, meer muziek in de oren mensen en talen in meervoud zullen zijn]

Pt. 3 of recently accepted “Apple a Day” submissions! I’m so excited for you to read these pieces by @alexdawcreates , @bristatonwrites , @comm.unitypoetry , and @abigail_elizabeth_ottley ! #submissions #poetrybook #anthologysubmissions #booksubmissions #opensubmission

On Thursday, we sang in the @royalalberthall for the @anightwiththelegends with the @london.arab.orchestra . It’s been incredibly humbling and emotional to fill the Hall with music and beauty with my fellow singers and musicians on a day of such turmoil and heartbreak. This poem is called ‘Night of the Legends’. In the fourth language I ever learned to sing in, we hope we did the women of Arabic music proud. With a big thanks to maestro @bs.basselsaleh 🎼 [Description - text of the poem ‘Night of the Legends’: How do you sing in times of war? Asks the singer How do we share in times of song? Asks the choir How do we improvise amidst new bar counts? Asks the orchestra How do we free our notes? Asks the maestro As the voices of the men support us from backstage We mark International Women’s Day And the audience maps out our territory Clapping collectively, 5000 as one Carrying it all Before the song has even started]

‘Law is not the same as justice’ [English below] Sinds afgelopen week heeft Nederland een nieuw kabinet, inclusief Minister van Justitie en Veiligheid David van Weel. Tijdens de bekendmaking van de benoemingen, werd hem gevraagd waarom zijn partij - de VVD - niet meer nieuwe vrouwelijke bewindspersonen had voorgesteld. Hij antwoordde ‘We hebben gekozen voor kwaliteit en continuïteit’. Blijkbaar leidde dat tot slechts 3 van de 9 vrouw (bron in stories). Joa, joa, ‘kwaliteit en continuïteit’. 🙄 Het is 2026. Hier is ons antwoord! Insta- familie- samenwerking: Woorden door Wieke @comm.unitypoetry (in het Engels) Beelden door Jelien @jelien.nu — The Netherlands has a new Government, including Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel. During the phase of proposed appointments for new cabinet roles, he was asked why his party - de VVD, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy - didn’t select more women leaders. He said they had chosen for ‘quality and continuity’ - source: Dutch public TV and radio. Apparently, that translated into one third of his party’s suggested new senior government leaders being women. ‘Quality and continuity’... well, well, well. It’s 2026. Here is our response. We’re keeping it in the family! Cousin-collaboration: Words by Wieke @comm.unitypoetry Video by Jelien @jelien.nu

We’re close to installing a new cabinet in the Netherlands, after general elections in October last year. When the proposed new Minister for Justice and Security was asked why his party hadn’t selected more women, he said they had chosen ‘quality and continuity’. Apparently, that translated into one third of his party’s suggested new senior government leaders being women. It’s 2026. Dit gedicht heet ‘Just this’. [Description - text of the poem ‘Just this’: Just this We’ve got a new Minister of Justice, but he forgot just this Law is not the same as justice First week in law school and our tutor taught us this Law is not the same as justice ‘Not more women in the cabinet?’ and the Minister uttered a miss Law is not the same as justice ‘We chose quality and continuity’ said the chosen one but let me tell you this, Law is not the same as justice There’s no excuse for mediocrity Not even a little consistency Not looking for new leaders - oh ignorance is bliss! It’s good to know your thoughts in this radio business But when you do your job, dear Minister, beste David, please just remember this Law is not the same as justice]

This poem was written, as part of the workshop series ‘Even Now: Writing Towards Hope’ by @jlmmorton for @dialectwriters We were invited to write a poem, responding to Wendell Berry’s beautiful poem ‘The Peace of Wild Things’. You might know it, or not - it’s a great one to ponder for nature writing. We talked about what the poem does for us, and about the trust a reader needs to have, to step into big words and big worlds. This me think about a note by @jess_serrante I read today on Substack, saying ‘We don’t need more critical analysis of what’s wrong; we need cultural infrastructure’. I am interested in poetry being part of that cultural infrastructure. ‘Use your words’ we say to children, when something is stuck or unspoken. When we think they should be able to say it. I’m interested in how we listen, and the bandwidth we give to each other. Full disclaimer that this poem was written in 12 minutes - I’m sharing it here almost unedited. What does it bring up for you? This poem is called ‘Big words’ 🛝 [Description - text of the poem ‘Big words’: We can’t just use big words now, can we? Like ‘brilliance’ or ‘heartbreaking’ or ‘grace’ Of all the million different ways For us to be in time and place Who are we to be able to choose ‘hope’ Who are we but restless, joyful creatures on a slope, of sliding towards abyss, towards regeneration Where do we go, with these big words Like ‘wild’ and ‘wildfire’, like ‘heron’ and ‘nation’ ‘Use your words now’, we say, and ‘don’t swear’]

This poem is called ‘Branching out’. For the communities named and unnamed in the news. For the people living in fear, left in suspense - and for the many ways in which we can connect to protect each other. Some of the people I am learning with at the moment @adriennemareebrown @kerrinidochartaigh @marjorielotfi @allwecansave @parentsforfuture_uk @shafakelif Finds yours. If this isn’t already close to home, it is. Now is a time to branch out. [Description - text of the poem ‘Branching out’: When you don’t know what to do, do one thing, then two. Yes, this is daunting and it may be new to you. But it is not to so many, so find your teachers. Read books. Honour your connective tissue. Ask your ancestors. Ask your children. For it may be complicated, but it is not difficult. It’s hard, but it’s basics. Bring it close to home. Keep your bleary-eyed and your clear-eyed. Use your night vision and your day dreaming. See where the animals go to seek safety - running uphill, downstream. Find those places. Make them bigger and bigger.]