National Poet of Wales marks 75th anniversary of the NHS

Published Tue 4 Jul 2023 - By Literature Wales

Hanan Issa, National Poet of Wales has penned a poem, ‘The Unsung’, to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service. The poem and its translation into Welsh by Grug Muse were commissioned by Literature Wales.

Hanan Issa and Grug Muse will perform the poem at the National Service of Thanksgiving held at the Church of the Resurrection in Ely, Cardiff on Tuesday 4 July. This is one of several activities taking place to celebrate the wealth of talent and diversity of the National Health Service in Wales.

The pair will also perform the poem at the Senedd on Wednesday 5 July at an event organised by the Welsh NHS Confederation.

The National Poet of Wales takes poetry to new audiences and encourages others to use their creative voice to inspire positive change. They are an ambassador for the people of Wales, advocating for the right to be creative and spreading the message that literature belongs to everyone. One integral part of the role is to write poetry commissions, some of which are commissioned by Literature Wales who manage the project. ‘The Unsung’ is one such commission.

To research for this poem, Hanan sought the experiences of NHS workers who are unsung heroes, including pathology lab staff, staff at a GP practice and mental health practitioners.

The Unsung

I will not clap for you – forgotten, tethered, unsung.
Piecing together the story from a look on their face, the blood.
Moments so pernicious, so painful.
“I always wanted to help people” echoes past the flickering lights
and cold coffee as you roll up your sleeves knowing
someone’s mother, brother, neighbour waits.

I cannot clap for you – wayfinders. Suturing hope in shifts
from behind a curtain, a pane of glass.
Slides of sliced skin, their vibrant colour-answers
hide in clouds and ink blots. Yet you navigate to a person.
Entering homes frothing with fear, you leave behind
something shaped like a warm embrace.

I dare not clap for you – shamans glowing in the shade.
Seeking glimmers of hope, holding plasma up to the light.
How do you conjure smiles and successes
without any sleep or certainty? Nurturing faith from crumbling chaos.
Patien[ts/ce] unaware of your service
mouthing prayer-like, ‘troponin’ or ‘palliative’.

Take this pen, my paper, these words.
But I promise you no applause,
For applause implies the work has ended.

Hanan Issa,
National Poet of Wales

Hanan Issa was named the National Poet of Wales in July 2022. In the course of her tenure, she wants people to recognise Wales as a country bursting with creativity: a land of poets and singers with so much to offer the arts.

Find out more on the National Poet of Wales page on the Literature Wales website.