28th of May 2020

'Fountains', by Azfa

Azfa is a pupil at Oxford Spires Academy.

OSA is a state secondary school in Oxford, where pupils speak thirty different languages. For several years, the Scottish poet Kate Clanchy has been writer in residence at OSA, teaching children to write poetry. She regularly features their beautiful work on her Twitter feed, and her book, Some Kids I Taught And What They Taught Me, has been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2020.

Azfa wrote 'Fountains' when she was 16.

Fountains

I have not heard

The opera in New York

But I have heard 

The bagpipes 

In Scotland

An alien bird with tartan feathers

Wild as a peacock

With a mushy haggis heart

I have not heard 

The soaring Gospel

But I have heard 

The Holy Quran 

It's sweet za zam water 

Dripping slowly slowly

through the stream beds 

of my eardrums, slipping through

my veins to my heart, 

a ruby, drumming throne.

I have not heard 

The President's speech,

But I have heard

My Dad's honourable advice. 

His voice a messenger riding 

from his mind which is 

an overflowing fountain

of knowledge, springing 

from his journeys

and splashing me with wonder

from head to toe.