Poem – A Glass of Tea (After Rumi) By Shukria Rezaei

This poem, which Shukria Rezaei wrote as a newly arrived 15-year-old Afghan refugee being resettled from Pakistan to Oxford, covers the quiet feelings of distance that cultural bereavement can leave a child with; the stark differences between home and here; and the feeling of being slightly out of place when you first arrive in a new country.

Shukria's poem gives a powerful first-hand account of what resettlement can feel like for a child or young person and her story of going from English language learner to published poet in a matter of years, shows what young refugee students can achieve when given the right support in school.

You can listen to the poem if you prefer. Or why not read and listen at the same time?

Download this audio clip.Audio player: unit5_a_glass_of_tea_shukria_rezaai.mp3

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NARRATOR

Last year, I held a glass of tea to the light. This year, I swirl like a tealeaf in the streets of Oxford. Last year, I stared into navy blue sky. This year, I am roaming under colourless clouds. Last year, I watched the dazzling sun dance gracefully. This year, The faint sun moves futurelessly. Migration drove me down this bumpy road, Where I fell and smelt the soil, where I arose and sensed the cloud. Now I am a bird, flying in the breeze, Lost over the alien earth. Don’t stop and ask me questions. Look into my eyes and feel my heart. It is bruised, aching and sore. My eyes are veiled with onion skin. I sit helplessly in an injured nest, Not knowing how to fix it. And my heart, I’d say Is displaced. Struggling to find its place.

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Last year, I held a glass of tea to the light. This year, I swirl like a tealeaf in the streets of Oxford. Last year, I stared into navy blue sky. This year, I am roaming under colourless clouds. Last year, I watched the dazzling sun dance gracefully. This year, the faint sun moves futurelessly. Migration drove me down this bumpy road, where I fell and smelt the soil, where I arose and sensed the cloud. Now I am a bird, flying in the breeze, lost over the alien earth. Don’t stop and ask me questions. Look into my eyes and feel my heart. It is bruised, aching and sore. My eyes are veiled with onion skin. I sit helplessly in an injured nest, not knowing how to fix it. And my heart, I’d say is displaced, struggling to find its place.

As you work through this unit, keep in mind the themes of loss, in its many forms, that are explored in this poem – a loss of self, a loss of home, and of feeling completely out of place and lost in a new country.

But it is also important to keep in mind the vast potential all students have and the importance of teachers and other staff supporting students to learn, to grow and to find who they want to be in the new life they are building in the UK.

In this unit, we will explore strategies and tools that provide you with help to support students in your school.