I grew up in the shadows of my dream
Wandering through my cobbled streets
Concrete playgrounds in the foreground
and a looming view of high-rise apartment blocks

I see Nikes, Doc Martens and sandals
I see briefcases, suits and pearls
I see one pound for fruit, one pound for profit,
And one pound is survival

I grew up in the shadows of my dream
There’s a sign about global warming
Plastered over posters of festivals
and a looming view of London’s skyline

I see faces now.
I see aunties, uncles and strangers
I see imposters strutting on the Central Line
Prosthetics imposing.

To grow up in the shadow of your dreams
Is an exercise of radical imagination
I sing no victim’s song
But I command regeneration.