I AM FROM baked beans and from kidney beans, from fizzy pop and sorrell, from corner shop sweets and homemade dumplings.

I AM FROM the estate, broken down, grey but filled with the happy noise of kids playing outside, all day, all weathers, all together.

I AM FROM Rosemary and Douglas, from "Wait till your father gets home!" and "Do as your mother says!"

I AM FROM dressed in my Sunday best, singing songs in church school and dressed in my play clothes, having fun with friends at Stebon School.

I AM FROM the River Thames and the River Roseau, from my runaway mum and my move abroad dad, their new blended family, together as one, old memories fading, new memories forming, photos lost and replaced.

I AM FROM gaps in my family tree,
RIP: Sister - Father - Sister - Nephew,
two big brothers, one far away, one missing since 2005.

I AM FROM two lands; England & Dominica*
I AM FROM two cultures British & Dominican
I AM FROM two races European & African**

Yet I am ONE!



* The Commonwealth of Dominica 🇩🇲
** African heritage from 🇳🇬🇰🇪 Via 🇩🇲 due my ancestral transatlantic enslavement

​

What has been the biggest thing to happen to you this year? 

  

Okay, so I was in Portugal for two weeks, this was on the second week, um, I think honestly it was on a Tuesday. Yer, Tuesday of the second week. Um, we’d been to the beach three times, this was the fourth time, same beach. I can't remember what it's called but these were the biggest waves I’ve ever seen in person. There were more, more, more people there surfing than swimming. These waves were about me and another half and I’m 5’11, so these were very, very big waves. There’s me and three of my friends, Pritpal, Tommy and Dillon. Now Tommy and Dillion; good swimmers, excellent swimmers. Pritpal (laughs) he can't swim, he was staying far back. Me, I would like to say I can swim a tiny bit, but I can float and in the water all you need to know is how to float.  

  

So, we go out into the water, the waves are hitting us, massive, massive waves. We get past the line of where the waves crash, so now when the waves are coming in, we just float with them.  The waters already at, I’m a say just above my chest level, but when the erm tide goes out, when the water goes out, the water drops to below my waist. Like this, it’s crazy how much water would get taken out and when it come back in it was taking us, it would have been over my head, but we were floating with it, you jump with the water but then you can’t feel the bottom at all.   

  

Now slowly, bit by bit I was getting pulled out further and so was Dillion and Tommy, but they are good at swimming. They're swimming about and Pritpal (laughs) he is on the other side of the water. Now I am looking towards Pritpal, at the shoreline and I see him pointing at me. As soon as I turn round, a massive wave, the biggest I’ve seen. Crash! No, oh, before that, sorry before that I’m looking at Pritpal and I feel the sand from my feet getting pulled and just when I’m thinking what that is, I see him pointing behind me, so I turn round I see the biggest wave I have seen so far in person crash down on me.  Now I get spung and hit the bottom of the like seabed, I’m literally laying down on the sea, seabed, then I try getting back up and I’m struggling and struggling. I jump up, I get air, I am at the top again. As soon as I breath for about 5/10 seconds Bang! Another wave crashes down on me, this time I get spung, it feels like I have spung backwards. I get to the top, I’m like oh my gosh, what's happening. I can’t see Pritpal, I can’t see Dillion and Tommy and I am stuck in the water by myself. I am floating so it's all good. All of a sudden, I just started sinking, I’m like this is peak, this is peak and I’m just sinking, sinking and I’m under water. I can’t get back up for some reason. I try swimming up, I tr swimming up, it's not working, then I touched the bottom of the seabed and what do I think of one of the best Amine, Dragon Ball Z! He coughs There is an episode of Dragon Ball Z where Goku’s fighting Freezer, Freezer like hits Goku into the water does two Kamehameha and kind a jumps, slices, kind a fly's out of the water to then attack Freezer. So, I was thinking cool I can't swim up so let me squat down like Goku did and try jumping out so |I squatted, and I have some muscular legs, not muscular but fat legs, I squatted bowl I jumped. I got my mouth, my nose, just to the top of the water took in a deep breath, went to exhale, wave crashes down onto me, (he makes the sound of a wave).  

  

So now I’m choking on salt water, and this was the saltiest water I have ever tried. It was disgusting. So now I'm choking on salt water in water, so I am just breathing in more water. I force myself to stop choking and I’m trying to hold my breath, hold my breath but I already have water in my lungs, in my throat, in my mouth, it’s just not good at all. [I] Somehow get to the top again, I’m jumping again, while there's still water in my throat I shout “Dillion, Tommy, come and get me.” A wave crashes down. Now I’ve no idea where I am, I just see pitch black, that’s all I see. I can’t feel the bottom, can’t feel the top, don’t know what's left, don’t know what’s right and now I’m like ok I’m going to die! There's nothing I can do and I’m just thinking this is peak (laughs). This is peak. I have already been holding my breath, now I have water in my throat in my lungs and I am about to choak. So, I now start choking and I start drowning in the water (make drowning sounds) literally drowning and in my head, I am thinking cool. I have about 10-15 seconds left (laughs). This is peak. Then I feel something grab my left arm, something grabs my right arm, pulled up I get pulled up. It's literally like a movie. I see the sunlight shimmering on the water, get pulled up and it’s Dillion and Tommy. They saved my life. If I was there for another 10 – 15 seconds, I would be dead! They saved me, they helped me get back to the shore. The whole time I was coughing up, coughing up erm... I have sensitive eyes, so I wear googles and there was sea water all in my eyes. My eyes were all burning. When we got back to the land, I went to get my towel, dried my eyes, fixed my googles, then we went back in and had a great time.  

  

That’s the story, that’s the story. The man them saved my life; Yer, it was a good time. 

Her alarm rang for the fourth time, but still no movement came from the lump on the bed, only a few unnecessarily loud grunts. That very same scenario was repeated twice more, at ten-minute intervals. It would have continued had the door not flung open. "Wake up daughter, we are on a schedule, and I want to keep to it!" said the intruder.  

 
Blinds were pulled high to ensure sunshine filled every dark corner of the bedroom, but still no movement from the lump. The radio was turned on so that smooth melodies played, easing night spirits into day souls. Still, she did not stir. It was the sharp blast of freezing air which circulated the room quickly that finally aroused the sleeping beauty from her comfortable slumber.  

 
A loud, high pitched "Good morning mum." followed by the screeching of "Today's the day!" was delivered in a way I was not expecting after such a slow start to the day. However, it set the tone for the rest of the morning's routine. Bath, I'm just going to enjoy the day." She told me. Breakfast, "We won't win." She told her mother. Teeth brushed "It's about taking part that counts." She told her father. Hair brushed, "The other nominees are so amazing." She said to her big brother. "I don't have space to hang an award anyway." She told the hamster. 

 
She wore a long flowing dress, heels, and a bag realistically too small to fit anything in, other than an oyster card and a winner's speech.  

 
The event was busy with young people who enjoyed the glamour of the moment. Alcohol free mocktails, nibbles, posing for photos, taking selfies, and holding red carpet interviews until it was time to start the event.  

 
And the winner is...   She smiled. She won!   

I woke up early 

Winter’s cold fills all the air 

I return to sleep 

 

Today I shall swim 

Summers sun falls on water