Newcomers by Michael Rosen
Jan 09, 2021, 06:24 PM
'On the Move. Poems about Migration' by Michael Rosen, page 28, (Walker Books)
My father came to England
from another country.
from another country.
My father’s mother came to England
from another country
from another country
but my father’s father
stayed behind.
stayed behind.
So my dad had no dad here
and I never saw him at all.
and I never saw him at all.
One day in spring
some things arrived:
some things arrived:
a few old papers,
a few old photos
and – oh yes –
a few old photos
and – oh yes –
a hulky bulky thick checked jacket
that belonged to the man
that belonged to the man
I would have called “Grandad”.
The Man Who Stayed Behind.
The Man Who Stayed Behind.
But I kept that jacket
and I wore it
and I wore it
and I wore it
and I wore it
and I wore it
till it wore right through
at the back.
at the back.