Somehow, Somehow

This is a small but mighty collection from the former Young Poet Laureate of Birmingham. Like the format, the poems initially seem quiet, observant and unassuming as Foday reflects in ‘Conversation Topic’ on the small ways that Covid slipped into our conversation, and our belief that we could keep it at bay simply by washing our hands. However, much like a volcano, the collection quickly erupts and charts Foday’s experiences of living alone at university during the pandemic with a visceral and emotive force; seemingly determined to ensure a voice that could not be heard at the time will surely be heard now.

In simple, stark lines the poet recalls the daily practices which became central to navigating the pandemic: our insatiable appetite for new updates, the trauma of shopping trips – unsure what would be available or indeed what was safe to touch, adjusting to contact made only via zoom. It seems fitting that these challenges are described so simply. Although entirely alien, we embraced each adaptation to our daily routines and the language chosen plunges the reader back into a time when the day to day was anything but normal. Yet, in between these reminders of the everyday are piercing lines which contrast with our attempts to function and remind the reader of the mental toll this period took on each of us. ‘Self-soothing’ poignantly depicts the isolation felt by those living alone during Covid; ‘Alone (Part 2)’ and ‘First Time Going Out’ ably encompass the sensations of emerging from lockdown: being held again, the brightness of the natural world, or flinching at the unpredictability of strangers when venturing back outside.

Foday talks too, with unfaltering honesty, about her deteriorating mental health, self-harm, and her struggles to complete her degree – complex issues which many readers may relate to. A difficult, but significant read, it is easy to see how this collection could well become a set text, but more importantly a way of opening up conversations with teenagers and young adults about the times we all lived through and their continuing impact on our lives.