Sanctuary

From Planet 250

A poem by Taz Rahman

Forty-something Abu Bakr (not his real name), a speaker of many North African tongues, flees persecution and finds himself in south Wales. His body is scarred from the ravages of a journey acquainted with nights under the stars. On his first day, he wanders through the historic arcades of Cardiff city centre, gets lost and finds himself by the fowl-filled Feeder Canal towards Cardiff Bay. How can the ducks be so trusting? He secures work as a food delivery rider, carrying flavours of the world to Cardiff homes.