2 Carole Satyamurti Poems

Carole Satyamurti was a British poet who also worked as a translator and sociologist. She taught in London and spent time as a writer in residence at the University of Sussex and College of Charleston. She’s won the National Poetry Competition, Cholmondeley Award, and was short-listed for the Forward Prize.

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War Photographer

‘War Photographer’ captures the stark divide between war’s horrors and the distant calm of the viewer, through a lens of empathy.

Carole Satyamurti’s poem ‘War Photographer’ stands out for its honest and personal way of showing the effects of war. She writes from the viewpoint of someone who captures suffering through a camera, not just from a distance but up close. This poem is one of her more recognized pieces because of how it looks at both pain and how it’s presented to the public. It’s thoughtful, emotionally complex, and often included in study collections.

The reassurance of the frame is flexible

- you can think that just outside it

people eat, sleep, love normally

while I seek out the tragic, the absurd,

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I Shall Paint My Nails Red

‘I Shall Paint My Nails Red’ by Carole Satyamurti is a poem about why a female speaker painted her nails. The simple premise is made more complicated as she lists out the reasons why she painted her nails red.

Because a bit of colour is a public service.

Because I am proud of my hands.

Because it will remind me I'm a woman.

Because I will look like a survivor.

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