Tiger Bay

This is a poem by local writer, lloyd robson (the lack of capitals are his choice). It draws on a real incident in the infamous but now demolished Tiger Bay. The poem is sited in the pavement were Tiger Bay once stood. The Cairo Cafe was run by Olive and Mohammed Salaman. They were typical of many of the Bay's community: she was from the Valleys while he came to this country by working on the ships but like many, settled and married a local girl. You can see a clip of them here. (That's Arabic she's speaking later in the clip, not Welsh) There's a better clip knocking about on the net, where they discuss how they let the local men use the cafe as a mosque when the area found itself without a place of worship temporarily.
I love the humble siting of the poem but also think its placing speaks volumes, especially compared with the Gwyneth Lewis poem blipped yesterday. Cardiff Bay - white, moneyed, touristy, a bit generic. Butetown (which replaced Tiger Bay) - black, marginalised, poor, and a little bit scary. Both within spitting distance of each other.