This week, Frieda Hughes marks the end of a chapter with her final weekly poem for this series. In it, she reflects on the constraints of sharing her daily life through verse, noting that much of what she experienced required censorship. She expresses a deep wish to resolve major global conflicts, such as unblocking the Hormuz Strait and ending the Ukraine war, and to undo the actions of those she describes as 'pram-brats tossing missiles.'
A Desire for Change
Hughes also imagines a world where women in niqabs and burkas could feel the sun on their faces, and where the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) was never conceived. She laments the futility of arguing with those whose egos are tied to outcomes, hoping that the right words might reach the right ears and that 'imbeciles would step aside.'
In the meantime, she turns to the small patch of ground she stands on, planting it as a distraction from what she cannot change. For Hughes, this personal plot is the only place where she can affect the outcome. The poem serves as a poignant farewell, acknowledging the limits of individual action while affirming the importance of tending to one's own sphere of influence.
