I came upon Chrissie Gittins' poem, 'The Powder Monkey' while reading Michael Rosen's impressive anthology- 'Michael Rosen's A to Z -The Best Children's Poetry From Agard To Zephniah,' Puffin, 2009. I was so taken by it, I felt compelled to do some research regarding the poem's origin.
It turns out the poem formed from a conversation the poet had with a friend. Chrissie Gittins, the poet visited HMS Victory in Portsmouth, U K and learnt about the young children, often orphans swept off the streets of England, who worked on eighteenth century sailing ships as powder monkeys. They kept the artillery on the gun decks stocked with gunpowder. She was shocked to discover that before 1794 children as young at six went to sea. She visited the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum to research further.
The resultant docupoem won the Belmont Poetry Prize for individual children’s poems. This was especially significant as the shortlist was drawn up by teachers and the prizewinners were chosen by thirteen year old children. Such perceptive young readers...
Coincidentally, after 1794, the minimum age for children working at sea was raised to thirteen.
my eyes sting with smoke,
my ears sing with cannon fire.
I see the terror rise inside me,
coil a rope in my belly to keep it down.
I chant inside my head to freeze my nerve.
belfry, capstan, waist.
We must keep the fire coming.
If I dodge the sparks
my cartridge will be safe,
if I learn my lessons
I can be a seaman,
if I close my eyes to eat my biscuit
I will not see the weevils.
Main mast, mizzen mast, foremast,
shot lockers, bowsprit, gripe.
Don’t stop to put out that fire,
run to the hold,
we must fire at them
or they will fire at us.
Main mast, mizzen mast, foremast,
belfry, capstan, waist.
My mother never knew me,
but she would want to know this –
I can keep a cannon going,
I do not need her kiss.
Chrissie Gittins
Alan, I am glad you dug into the history of this poem – absolutely fascinating. It is hard to imagine six-year-old children responsible for stocking gunpowder for heavy artillery. One twist of fate and a parentless child is off to sea, their childhood gone. It feels like a Charles Dickens novel.
ReplyDeleteIt all fits in perfectly with the Charles Dickens era, Tracey. You are spot on. It is both shocking and intriguing to uncover this horrible historic truth. Chrissie Gittins' poem draws attention to past practices, but child slavery continues in modern times, so we haven't achieved as much as we need to.
DeleteWow. This is shocking--both the history and the poem. Those last two lines. So full of...pride? Defiance? Self-reliance? Fabulous--thank you for sharing this, Alan!
ReplyDeleteThe poem is aptly shocking, Laura as you state. We who read it are shaken and distrubed and this is as it should be. Poetry has many purposes.
DeleteThis is Rose C. (I can only comment as anonymous. ) Thanks for sharing this fascinating story, Alan. The repeated chant is haunting.
ReplyDeleteAs you write, Rose, there is a haunting element to this powerful poem.
DeleteAlan, what a poem, and what a grisly story of children going on sailing ships as the "powder monkeys" Yikes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a poem, indeed Denise. It shakes and stirs the reader. Just what a great poem should hope to do.
DeleteSix years old! Heartbreaking. Such a powerful poem.
ReplyDeleteI cannot but agree, Karen.
DeleteWow! Thank you for sharing this. I really love docupoetry. Going to look up this collection too.
ReplyDeleteGlad to share sometihng that has appeal to my fellow poets, Marcie. Good luck with your investigations.
DeleteVery well done poem-- you can see the fruits of her research! I like that she shows ways the child calms himself that make sense in the context. Thanks, Alan!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Tabatha. Astute observations by you.
DeleteThis is Janice. I just love poems based on history, like this one, that puts the reader in a child's place, one who lived in a different time. But we also know that there are present day children thrust into impossible situations. Thank you for bringing these children out of the shadows.
ReplyDeleteYour response is most perceptive, Janice. And as much as history informs us, we are also reminded of present day inhumane treatment of children.
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