Summer snapshots: multilingual voices

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This is a Vision Australia Radio Podcast.

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Welcome to Emerging Writers. I'm Kate Cooper. Today we're bringing you the second in our summer snapshot series which features readings from some of the wonderful guests who we've interviewed on our program this year. This week and next we're focusing on the multilingual voices we've heard, poets who know a diversity of languages and who all now live in Adelaide and write in English. We'll hear readings today from Ly Luan Le, Bior Aguer and Ritesh Singde. 

Our first reader is Ly Luan Le, multilingual poet, award winning teacher, children's story writer, language and culture promoter and also recipient of an outstanding individual achievement award in the Governor of South Australia's multicultural awards. Lee received this award for his work in using his own experiences as a refugee in the early 1980s to help and mentor other refugee families. Lee has published collections of his bilingual poetry written in both Vietnamese and English and from his work titled a Life's journey, we'll hear his poem. Thank you Australia.

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Thank you Australia for peace and democracy. Thank you Australia for tolerance and generosity. Thank you Australia for many great works created by quiet achievers. Thank you Australia for learning and working opportunities. Thank you Australia for fairness and justice. Thank you Australia for kindness and hospitality. Thank you Australia for walking together with immigrants and indigenous sisters and brothers. Thank you Australia for nurturing spirituality in guidance of humanity. Thank you Australia for building harmony amongst all in your community. Eternal thanks to you. I love you Australia. And actually the first four verses translate into Vietnamese too. Gam da ja hua bin va yang yu gam va ronglu yangtu.

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Lee's appreciation of the world around him and the people in it comes through very strongly in this poem, as it does throughout his work. Lee's daughter Feng Fee writes in the introduction to a life's journey that it is a contemplative compilation of a migrant's journey through mirrored and changing doors. It leaves readers with a sense of humanity and compassion that we, with all the hustle and bustle of everyday existence, sometimes forget to feel. Lee's poems in a life's journey are full of hope and humanity and this is highlighted in his poem titled hope, which we'll hear now.

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Hope. Both sinking, threatening, starving and warmongering, all these suffocated the thoughts and the vision of powerless asylum seekers. Good day my brethren from Africa as well as from Middle East. I am with you in my prayers and in my thoughts. Through my sharing and assisting the refugees, I have gained a deep understanding of human joyfulness. You have enlightened up in me a torch of hope for the future. Your determination of harmonious integration certainly will overcome social and cultural barriers. Coming up a day, a brighter day. We will be better. We will be better.

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As we just heard now in Lee's poem, he writes from the heart in a way that inspires others to also feel the same hope and optimism that he does. Lee also shares with his readers some very moving experiences, as we'll hear in his poem a tough call in the chilly winds, which is a beautiful tribute to a dear friend and adopted family member.

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A tough call in the chilly winds. Can you help to lift up Robert? A woman asked in panic. Yes, I can, I said. I followed her to the bathroom and helped him into his wheelchair. That was beginning of the friendship with Margaret and my family. One day she told us to call her mom and my children to call her grandma. That's quite a beautiful memory for my family. Then we share each other's happiness and difficulties. At Christmas we went to church together and came back home for a party. Not long ago, a macpie dashed over along on the top of the gum trees, calling harshly when the curtain of darkness started to fall. I say nothing but got worried for Margaret, my foster mom. A lady's strong determination and genuine independence. 

Last Sunday we called an ambulance. She had prepared her luggage and tidied up everything. She asked my wife to put a headband on her hair. She gave me a sad look, a melancholic look I'd never seen before. Then she entered into the quiet eternity unfamiliar chewing winds pierced my heart smashed my soul a duck goal in the cheering winds from now on. From now on I will no longer look over across the road to see if she's all right she lived a peaceful life the old tree in front of her house standing still speechless the old tree in front of her house is standing still speechless chilli wings. Chilli wins.

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The final poem that Lee is reading for us expresses his positive outlook and also the joy that he gets from volunteering for over 30 years now, as well as his extensive community work, Lee is a volunteer at the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary collective and we'll hear in his poem reflective moments about his love of nature and the happiness it brings him.

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Reflective moments do I have powerful winds to fly through the rough radar detected spaces? Do I have huge valour to glide over the Harvard green stony cliffs? Do I have the long rest six sense to feel the giant openness of the universe? Do I have the grey heart to spread out the accumulated richness of human fervour? Do I have a right reasons to believe I am useful and righteous? Do I have a pride, reasoning to distinguish my own weakness and strength? Do I have a high self respect and a good life to lead? Do I have an ordinary dream for myself and a strong willingness to go ahead? Do I enjoy the wonderful beauty of the falling streams of yellow leaves, the flattened baby birds chirping? Is silent ochre dawn brag? Yes, a blissfully happy mind fully inspired to the endlessness of time. Every happening will be over. Ye and tech. Yeve and tech is really worthwhile on.

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Vision Australia Radio you're listening to Summer Snapshots on our program Emerging writers. We've just heard readings by Ly Luan Le, poet, teacher, children's story writer, language and culture promoter, community mentor and bird lover. To listen to our full conversation with Lee, go to Vision Australia radio podcasts. Next we'll hear readings by Bior Aguer, a spoken word and published poet, freelance journalist, podcast producer and performing artist and community volunteer. In his published works Journal of a Refugee and Divinity, and in his spoken word performances, Bior tells the story of his childhood in South Sudan and his time in a refugee camp, his journey to Australia as an unaccompanied miner, and his experiences of making the transition from refugee to Australian. The first reading by Bior Aguer comes from his collection Divinity.

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The question which comes to mind is how I define myself a chief Alipluth governed the settlement of our family and led us through. I left my cattle camp homeland family at the age of three. He marks me with this name to signify to me I must seek to take up the baton and build a legacy. Bior Lord Accord I hear stories of his legacy on my life quest.

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Bior's experience of his journey by plane to Australia when he was just a small child is described in this next poem from his journal of a refugee.

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So these are notes from Journal of Refugee Kenyan International Airport infatuated with a fresh surrounding, as if I was summoned to a new world as machinery and high rise buildings now surrounded me. Unlike the refugee camp, the terminal had a luxurious interior with white tiles submerged with plasma screens. A hidden world of wonder, a switch for my traumas inflicted by conflict. In my times of trauma, the solutions for my blues was a supernatural entity guiding me with faith for a better tomorrow. People merely rushing on the move like they were escaping something. The scribbling, scruffling pea feet of passengers high frequently calls over the speaker departing and boarding flights. The murmuring of foreign languages intrigued me. 

Suspicious of their motives, I remain apprehensive of everyone around me. We produced boarding passes at the door alongside my visa, my identifying verification for the new world. Soon enough, we heard from the captain one final screeching call for takeoff. Seated side by side, front and back, the roar of the airplane's engine rattled me. Seated upright, alarmed, I began to feel restless. Glancing down the plane's window, I watched the long, harsh Runway draw smaller and smaller. We seemed as if we were floating off towards the skies. In the belly of the west tow eaglelike machine were pool unwillingly but restrained by a seatbelt. On my flight, everyone was flickering between books and magazines. Mindless individuals emerged in their own world. I was in, the captain announced. 

It's cloudy outside, with a slight chance of rain outside my window. The sun's raised by his bright break until the clear white fluffy clouds, a celestial light of hope in my mind was initiated from birth. Nothing was promised.

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Bior explained during our conversation earlier this year that he chose poetry writing because it helps the audience to connect emotionally and critically with his story. His poems very much reflect the courage with which Bior faced adversity, coming to Australia as an unaccompanied miner and building a new life here, drawing on his own innate resources. From Bior's journal of a refugee comes the next reading.

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So this one is my peers would try comprehend my life. Only a toddler. My peers cries for rights ring in my mind. I saw innocence in my peers eyes responding suddenly. It was good. I would get questions like, where is your family? Why did they not come penetrating towards my entrenched woefulness of my thoughts? I replied knowingly. I was walking with a sacred intervention, I replied, I'm not sure Bior's compassion.

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Determination, and resilience shine through his poetry, as we'll hear in this next reading.

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From birth, our elders shielded us from pain, but settling into Australian culture, struggled to grasp the undeniable truth. Mum was not coming on the journey. The choice was to either let my situation choose my path or empower my own purpose for a better tomorrow. The resilience my people possessed during the war inherited itself out of me. I learned early. When I acknowledge and accept myself, I would aid in my growth, not focusing like limitations like the word. But Bishop TG Jakes once said, the lord never gave man a chair or table. He simply offered them a tree, an opportunity to create a dream into existence.

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Bior's poems talk of both personal and universal themes, and in this next reading we'll hear a reflection on love.

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This is a letter to the one who came and nurtured my heart to full health. Love my testimony. My heart is a beacon for good in life dark times indicating the way out. Comprehending love is crazy. It's complicated. It baffles me. I encountered love once. We met at the mall. Her sight and presence radiant beauty left me frozen in disbelief.

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Bior's community work focuses on helping to empower other young people towards their personal growth, and in this next poem he talks about the values for growth.

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In times of reflection, passion dims, calling for transformation into a new me, a person with a tale of detaching change, transitioning from my ancestral roots. Fear is the four letter word of false evidence appearing real. A gentle giant I am at war with myself, entertaining people [?]ing when this odd soul will outgrow. Simulating on pleasing people. I pursue chains of peace with myself, this staircase to oneself in an age of technology. I am clinging to an ideal of humane connection where we can have a genuine conversation on our greatest disease. Like anything in life, the will to win, desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential are the keys to unlocking the doors of personal excellence. People will never see, acknowledge or accept you for who you are. You must meet the expectations of perfection or likeability. Only the few who accept you uniquely are values for growth.

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On Vision Australia Radio you're listening to Summer Snapshots on our program Emerging Writers. We've just heard readings by Bior Aguer, a spoken word and published poet, freelance journalist, podcast producer and performing artist and community volunteer. Bior's website is https - biorethepoet.com that's spelt b-i-o-r. To listen to our full conversation with Bior, go to Vision Australia radio podcasts. 

Our final readings for today are by the poet and lyricist Ritesh D. Singde. Ritesh came to Australia from India when he was ten years old. He speaks Hindi, understands Marathi, a state language at Maharashtra where he's from, and writes his poetry in English. Ritesh's poems reflect his particular interests in Norse beliefs, indigenous traditional healing and magic, and touch on universal themes of friendship and love. As we'll hear now.

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Believe in magic, believe in miracles, believe in me spread your wings, be free I know your fears afraid of free falling can't you see you're capable of flying? Why are you afraid of trying? Believe in magic, believe in miracles, believe in me spread your wings and be free spread your wings now you're flying a push now you're over the edge, the world below you can see the bigger picture, an expansion of the universe so you can belong. Believe in magic, believe in miracles, believe in me. Spread your wings, be free.

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Ritesh writes many of his poems as song lyrics. His next poem, you come from wind and dust, is very much in this lyrical style.

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You come from wind and dust. You come from water and heat, destructive forces like ice and fire, creative forces of mother Earth's power. Remember where you came from. Remember where you belong. Remember your throne from the beginning of time to world beyond. You came from millions of years of survivors. You came from countless warriors, your ancestors, they passed you the dot. You remember your past, it is in your blood to search. Remember where you came from. Remember where you belong. Remember your throne from the beginning of time to world beyond. You come from dying stars. They are your ancestors, you're their soul and blood. In you they left iron and gold. Remember where you came from. Remember where you belong. Remember your throne from the beginning of time to world beyond. You came from the big bang, from the beginning you were from where everything began. From the creator's dreaming. Once you were ruler of time. Remember you are my soul's song and rhyme.

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Resilience is a theme that has been threading through all of the readings that we've been listening to today. This next poem by Ritesh continues this theme.

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Warm like the sun, bright like the moon. You are always here, radiating and I'm here in your light, smiling. Strong leader like a lion, kind healer, born a Leo, full of power, shining principles, compassion you carry, empowering the weary. I see your strength, your light is never faint. Strong leader like a lion, kind healer, born a Leo, full of power, shining principles. I silently watch you overcome the shadows of your own. You're not perfect, though it seems you are. I want to be here for you when you suffer. Strong leader like a lion, kind healer, born a Leo, full of power, shining principles. But you have overcome everything. Nothing could stop you growing. You are now a master lioness. In me. You have inspired resilience.

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We end our readings with a reflection on friendship.

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To meet in this world not knowing who we can trust. With a song in the heart of every individual too afraid to get hurt. Yet something in me told me to say hi. Something in both of us spoke with our eyes and the rush of feelings portrayed with it tears. Something in me told me I need you for a thousand years to meet a stranger in this way, the one who knew exactly what I would say. Maybe destiny isn't so cruel. I found someone who understands my soul.

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And on that beautiful note of understanding, we end this week's summer snapshots with readings by the multilingual poets Ly Wan Lee, Bior Aguer and Ritesh D. Singde. You've been listening to Emerging Writers. This program can be heard at the same time each week on Vision Australia Radio, VA radio digital online@varadio.org and also on Vision Australia Radio podcasts where you can catch up on earlier episodes, including our full conversations with Lee, Bior and Ritesh.

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