Poems by Vincent Stevenson

Food Bank

Another working day,
Twelve hours with the elderly,
Waiting for my pay,
Loving family tenderly.

Nothing to report but,
Dreading the journey home,
Claiming income support,
No credit on my phone.

Another payday loan,
Council flat is dank,
In shadow seeds are sown,
Waiting at the food bank.

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Britain Needs Gurdwaras

There are 300 Gurdwaras in the UK,
A little-known statistic,
If you’re hungry, they will feed you,
This gift of community ensures survival,
Filling hearts and bellies.
All ages, all creeds, all needs, good deeds,
No questions asked, just humanity with a smile,
Our flesh and blood are the same, just different,
A first world country, leaning on community efforts,
Dedicated volunteers lift spirits,
When there’s nowhere else to go,
What happened to social mobility?
Rising beyond origins, carving success?
A lost term among hidden beneficiaries,
As teenagers we talked of eradicating child poverty,
Eradicating world hunger, yet here we stand,
Poverty and hunger in a first world country.
Politicians shrug shoulders – let’s set up a working group,
A Royal Commission to report back in five years,
Some subjects are too big for one lifetime and a million politicians,
There’s enough food for us all, you know, not just the few.
Gurdwaras show society the errors of its ways,
They offer true leadership, true ambition, true humanitarian love.

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Born in Manchester, England, Vince first started writing poetry influenced by the 'punk' poet, John Cooper Clarke in the mid-1980s. Since then he has travelled extensively and enjoys writing about both beautiful and disturbing things. Coming from a tough background, Vince recognises the difficulties of ordinary people. He works as a trainer helping people overcome the fear of public speaking.

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