Keisha Thompson, a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer, was inspired to write this poem by Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which codifies the right to an adequate standard of living. Keisha said:
“Article 25 reminds me of Maslows’ Hierarchy of Needs. It taps into the idea that we have very basic needs that are the foundation for us being able to reach the best versions of ourselves. Also with the current climate of Covid and Brexit, we are really having to think on a heightened political level about where we get our food from, where are our key workers from and how we look after ourselves as a society. Article 25 feels palpably relevant.”
How to Make an Article 25
INGREDIENTS
ItStartsWithA boldNotionThatItShouldBeWrittenDownEQUIPMENT
I often thinkAbout the personWho invented meringueTheir aching armLegislating a dreamFor something differentTo the translucent, slimeySubstance before themA whisk gaveling hopeInto soft white peaksA sweetness in the airPREP
My mother never writes anything downShe prefers for me to watch her in the actFollow and repeat until it gets into my bonesI secretly take notesWorry about being aloneOr failing to pass this onMETHOD
How many times do you lick your fingers before reaching for pen and paperConfident that you have come up with something good enough for everyoneA precedent of good tasteA full-bellied declaration for your future guests and your unborn childrenAn invitation to a never-ending banquetClear and conciseA petition of ingredients that you hope everyone can get hold ofA half-stained writ composed on the side of an apronSomething good has happened hereKnowing you will not be in this kitchen forever, you hope this meal will outlive youALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS
Please rewrite this recipe in languages I cannot speak with ingredients that I do not knowSpill oil, soapy water, red wine and laughter all over it as you convert grams to cups and double up the quantities, do whatever you need to do to make it make sense to you, until you don’t have to look at it anymore, until the measurements are in your bones and you can make a dance of this meal on a Sunday afternoonPlease put it through the letterbox of your neighbour, or make it a visible bookmark in the novel you donate to your local charity shopDon’t assume that someone will simply find it, or that someone has probably come up with something better somewhere else, this recipe wasn’t written with self-doubt or serendipity in mindKeisha Thompson
Keisha is Senior Manager of Children, Young People and Learning at Arts Council England, chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, a MOBO x London Theatre Consortium Fellow and a member of Greater Manchester Cultural and Heritage Group, and recipient of The Arts Foundation Theatre Makers Award 2021.
She is currently working with commissioners Eclipse Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre to stage new play, The Bell Curves. The script was made in development with Box of Tricks.
She is also working with Fuel Theatre and Alan Lane (Slung Low) to create new children’s show, Izzy, BOSSS & Fractal.
In August 2020, she released a new mini album, Ephemera, in collaboration with Tom “Werkha” Leah and featuring riveting cellist, Abel Selaocoe.
Keisha Thompson.
Poetic Universal Declaration of Human Rights
To celebrate Human Rights Day on 10 December a Poetic Universal Declaration of Human Rights, consisting of 30 original poems inspired by each article, will be unveiled online on Human Rights Day.The poetry for this Poetic Declaration has seen been created by school children across Greater Manchester. The entries will be whittled down to the final 30 poems by an expert panel of judges, including Manchester’s Keisha Thompson. This anthology of poetry celebrating human rights is presented in Manchester by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK and Curious Minds.
The two charities are now partnering with cities across the UK (Manchester being the first) to create further Poetic Declarations that highlight the experience of young people in the cities they live in.
First published in A Poetic Declaration, September 2021
On Human Rights Day, 1O December, to see the new Poetic Universal Declaration of Human Rights – click here
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Feature image: Ripples of Hope Festival