Between Poetic Heritage and Political Horror

This following poem, ‘G’ by Zaffar Kunial, is a layered, meditative and politically charged exploration of language, identity, colonization and loss, pivoting on the resonances and silences of a single letter: G

It is structurally careful, emotionally restrained, yet devastating. It interrogates language as a vessel of both culture and complicity – how even a letter can carry the weight of empire, memory, or mourning. The poet moves between England and Gaza, between poetic heritage and political horror, asking us to listen not only to what is spoken, but to what is hidden in breath, accent, and silence.

To accompany ‘G’ we have created some original artwork and have tried to present these amazing words to you in an interesting way. Links at the bottom of the page will take you to more by Zaffar, in the mean time, keep talking about Gaza and read on… G By Zaffar Kunial.

G
Speaks. Strong and clear in aghast and ago.

With gone. Globe. Giver. And – say it – Gaza.

Hazier there. Ghazza has a mist-aired gh.

A half-imprisoned breath, expelled and holding

Its start.

Its harbour.

Not the explosive g –

of gagged – which plants its flags in ‘Jerusalem’

gold: Bring   Bring   In Englands green   Blake’s

random, domed capitals, signed off near London.

Madly, this year, I dwell on shrunk earth – on a g –

hushed in signed.
Mute in gnarled as an old oak’s
or olive’s roots.

Voiceless in fight. Foreign. But sound in grip. Firm handshake of our agreement.

Closed opening of gate. Rock in forget.

Westernmost shore of good. Great. And God –

it’s gone.

That sense of the ground I walk on –

The Poem in Full

Here is the poem as a full text to see how it flows in terms of stanzas and its shape overall. Special thanks to Zaffar who has given us permission to use and share this.

About the Author Zaffar Kunial

Zaffar Kunial is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British poetry, known for his linguistic precision and emotional resonance. Born in Birmingham to a Kashmiri father and English mother, Kunial’s work often explores language, heritage, and identity with quiet intensity and profound lyricism.

In England’s Green (Faber, 2022), his second full collection, Kunial examines the layered landscapes of England – both literal and linguistic – with a gaze that is both affectionate and interrogative. The book was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and confirms his gift for finding depth in single syllables, subtle sounds, and etymological echoes – (as you have just read), qualities fully present in “G”, where the letter becomes a site of loss, violence, and colonial legacy.

Tensions between Cultures, Nations and Parents

His earlier collection, Us (Faber, 2018), was similarly acclaimed, exploring questions of belonging, distance, and the intimate tensions between cultures, nations, and parents. Across both books, Kunial’s poetry is marked by a tender attention to how words carry histories – how a sound, a name, a gesture can contain entire worlds. In “G”, we have seen these obsessions crystallize into a sharp, grieving meditation on geopolitics, exile and the poetics of pronunciation. Whether reflecting on Blake, grappling with genocide, or locating himself in the spaces between languages, Kunial’s work reminds us how the smallest units – a letter, a pause – can hold the weight of everything that matters.

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