Miracles

“ Do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.” This simple instruction, reputedly spoken by St David on his death-bed on 1 March 589, is well known and often quoted in Wales. In many ways this first collection of poems for young people by Connor Allen, the Children’s Laureate of Wales (2021–2023) reflects this admirable sentiment, highlighting as it does issues of the environment, climate change and our respect for all cultures. Poems such as ‘The Keys to the Future’ and ‘In These Times’ give pause for thought and point the young reader directly to 21st-century issues which will impact on lives young and old. The title of the anthology, Miracles, and the poem of the same name which ends the collection, echo this theme, and puts into mind that delightful short story by Paul Gallico, ‘The Small Miracle’ (1951). There, the young Italian war orphan, refused access to take his sick donkey to the crypt of St Francis, takes his case to the highest authority – the Pope. Here Connor invokes the readers’ initiatives to tackle new things – ‘to demystify poetry’ – to find their own voices, and become poets, who in their own words and actions, might even change the minds of those higher authorities – the policy makers. He reminds them in a poem entitled ‘Path That Lies Ahead’ that: ‘Your future isn’t written On stone chapters of ‘has to be’.’ Every young reader, every young writer, has the potential to be a word-changing ‘miracle’. The composition and presentation of the anthology itself do, however, invite some criticism. Questions arise about the appropriateness and balance of the content, and clarity regarding the intended audience. Is it for children to pick up and read? Will they understand the writer’s explanations of each of the 3 sections of the book, and will they understand the ‘grown up’ vocabulary of literary criticism? A comment on the cover describes the collection as ‘empathetic and empowering’, and the notion of empowerment is a repeated description of the poet’s intention in making his selection. Is this necessary? The poems included also present some imbalance. Analysing the actual poetry pages (out of the 80 pages) only 60 of these feature poems, and 26 of these are children’s examples of one ‘task’ accredited to a fellow poetry presenter. Four more pages are devoted to Connor’s ‘Special Mentions’ (including, incidentally, a very moving and well crafted ‘war’ poem by 16-year-old Jaimeleigh, entitled ‘War Broken Souls’). Returning to Connor’s own poems, however, we do find a true voice expressing his concern for the future, portrayed firstly in a selection of poems commissioned over the last 2 years by a variety of Welsh organisations. I particularly enjoyed ‘Knock, Knock, Gran’s Door’, the story of his grandmother’s experiences both in Jamaica, and with him growing up in Wales. Its explicit references to cultural differences, and the need to accept, respond and understand, provides an exemplar for children and young adults growing up in 2023 in a multicultural society. This poem was to mark Black History Month 2022, and is complemented by another highly personal list poem, ‘Black’. In the last section of the anthology more poems reflect on relationships from the past – Connor writes about his Mum, about losing a friend – and what can happen in the future, and even expands imaginatively upon the symbol of an exploding bottle of pop in ‘Fizzy’. It’s almost like opening Pandora’s box and feeling an eruption of emotions and possibilities, where you can be ‘Anything You Want to Be’, as another title suggests. Miracles is certainly worth looking at, but with a price tag of £10, and a rather strange format and style of illustration, it leaves me, an adult reviewer, with a dilemma. Is this primarily a showcase for the Laureate’s achievements and experiences – or does it offer something different – a genuine and successful invitation for children and young people to ride ‘on the waves of creation’, in Allen’s words? -- Chris Stephens @ www.gwales.com