the cars stop, a barricade of men who
stand across the road, side by side
like soldiers lined up to go over the top.
to them, this is war, answered rally cry
to stop the boats, send them back.
she looks out of the window, the sea
of thugs chanting, the ferry beyond.
papa why are they doing this? he frets,
thinks of the comments he’s read, things
he’s said himself down the pub to the lads
joining in with the banter, downing pint
after pint. there’s too many of them here
but he’s never felt this level of threat
from aaryan at work, who just gets on with it,
hanna behind the bar from Ukraine, smiling
while beset by leering, drunken men.
papa I’m scared. there’s too many of them.
he tightens his grip on the steering wheel,
turns, it’ll be okay, sweetie while white men
In black masks stand tall, hands clasped
behind backs, menacing the traffic, the lorries
backed up under duress. before long, the police
come, disperse the gang who slope off down
the pub. papa continues on, drives onto the ferry
away on their trip, but next time, pints sloshing
across the wooden bar, he’ll remember
the thud of a hand on his daughter’s door
and wonder if that’s what people are fleeing from.
.
Jem Henderson
Jem Henderson is a genderqueer poet from Leeds. an othered mother and their collaborative project Genderfux came out in 2022 and Motherflux, its sequel in 2024. A collaboration with Chris Cambell, small plates, is out now. Their work focuses on the body, motherhood, food, place, queerness and triumph over trauma.