They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way
(now read from bottom to top)
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Hello Brian,
We are a Year 6 class in Gateshead who are learning about refugees in our English lessons. We have just read your POWERFUL poem ‘refugees’ and wanted to tell you our feelings about it. At first, we were outraged at YOU because of the words you wrote about refugees BUT when we read it in reverse we were amazed by the change in perspective. We feel strongly that we want the world to change their perspective about refugees into a positive, compassionate way of thinking- just like you did.
Things that triggered us: ‘cut throats and thieves’ How dare you call the refugees thieves!
‘go back to where they came from’ Would you like it if someone said this to you!
Things that made us feel hopeful:
‘you are welcome here’ thank you for making everyone feel included.
‘these haggard faces could belong to you or me’ thank you for making us feel grateful for the peace and safety we have in our lives.
Thank you for making refugees feel recognised and part of our homes and lives.
• How long did it take you to write this? We are in awe of the reverso!
• What made you want to write this poem on this topic?
• Why do you never show your face!?
• What is your cat called?
Thank you so much to you and all your students for taking a look at my poem. Sorry if it shocked you all at first!
It didn’t take me very long to write at all – a couple of hours, perhaps. I don’t know how, though, as I’ve tried to write other poems with that forwards / backwards structure since and they’ve taken me AGES.
I wrote about this topic in response to seeing these two very different reactions on social media to a news story about refugees losing their lives (in the Mediterranean). I wanted to capture these two responses but end with a positive statement of support for refugees and what they go through simply to have a better existence for themselves.
I don’t show my face because I’m quite shy. Nowadays I go out and read poems to people so I can’t hide quite as much!
And finally, my cat was called Buttons. Sadly, she died a couple of years ago but was my constant companion when I was writing. In fact, I think she was actually sat on my lap when I wrote ‘Refugees’!
Hi Brian
We hope you are having a good day. We are a Year 5/6 class in the North East of England who have just spent a week of English lesson studying your poem, Refugees. We find it amazing how you have captured the two viewpoints of people towards refugees coming into our country. We were shocked at first as our teacher stopped halfway through reading and asked us for our thoughts. One child in our class said, “He’s an idiot!” Our opinion quickly changed when we realised it was a reverso poem. After reading it forwards and backwards, we were amazed. We think you are very talented and an inspiration.
We are in the process of making a video where we are performing the poem. We have thought carefully about how we deliver the lines differently so the two viewpoints are clear. When our video is finished, we will send you a link.
We have a few questions for you…
– Was there a time when no-one knew that you wrote as Brian Bilston? Even your family and friends?
– Will you write anymore poems like this?
– How old were you when you started to write poetry?
– Do you have a favourite poem that you have written and one that you have read?
Thanks for inspiring us, keep writing!
Thanks, Deborah. Glad to hear your students have been getting a lot out of the poem and that they no longer think I’m an idiot.
In answer to your questions, then yes, for quite some time (2 or 3 years) those around me didn’t know that I was Brian Bilston. In fact, I suspect I have friends who still don’t know.
I’ve written a couple of backwardsy / forwardsy poems (technical term) since. One was about the environment. They’re not as well known as ‘Refugees’. They’re hard to write so not sure I’ll be penning any more!
I didn’t really start writing poetry until I was in my thirties. I did enjoy reading poetry (particularly funny poems) at school, though.
A favourite poem that I’ve written? That’s a hard question. I’m not sure I do, although I’m very proud of ‘Refugees’ to find it gets used in schools and so on. In terms of poems that I’ve read, I really love ‘The Lanyard’ by Billy Collins – it’s funny and poignant, which is a winning combination in my mind.
Thanks so much for your questions!
Thank you for a very powerful and timeless piecework. This evoked so many emotions and all led to tears. Tears of empathy, anger, but most of all tears of joy in being acknowledged for being a person and not an undesirable.
Hi Brian, I’m an English Teacher from India. We constantly face this problem of refugees from our neighboring countries. We do have problems with them. But your poem gave a different perspective to our views. Thanks a lot.
Thanks very much.
bruh, ur poam is moving
Hello Brian. I hope you are keeping well. Just wanted to let you know that I will be using your wonderful poem in an observed lesson on Monday with a group of year 7s in the UK. I am sure they will love it. Thank you for writing it and providing a healthy perspective towards those who are less fortunate. Neil.
Thanks very much for your kind words, Neil. Hope the lesson goes well.
I am a student form 8th grade and we read your poem because is recaionated to the book we are reading in this momen taht is Refugee by Alan Gratz.
Hey Brian Bilston I am a student in 8th grade I read your poem and I can tell you that in my whole live I have never seen a poem that we can read from top to bottom and from bottom to top and that has two perspectives.
By: Camila
Hello Brian My name is Guillermo I am a student in eight grade and I have recently read your poem it is excepcional, it means alot to the refugees especially in this day and age with all controversies surroundoing refugees I love the both sided perspective and I believe everyone should have a chance to read this and reflect about it I congratulate you on this piece of art and hope you find alot of success later in life.
Your dear follower: Guillermo
Thank you, Guillermo. What a kind thing to say. All the best to you.
Hello Brian my name is Nicolas and I recently read your poem and make me reflect about the two perspectives that we can see in your wonderful poem, by reading it from bottom to top or top to bottom. You made me think about how refugees suffer by this days. And also how the poem changes by reading it by another way. I congratulate you for this amazing poem that touched my heart.
Thank you, Nicolas. I’m very pleased to hear it had that effect upon you.
Hello Brian my name is Sergio and I recently read your poem and make me reflect about the two perspectives that we can see in your wonderful poem, by reading it from bottom to top or top to bottom. You made me think about how refugees suffer by this days. And also how the poem changes by reading it by another way. I congratulate you for this amazing poem that touched my heart.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for that amazing poem, I am a student and I loved your work.
Thank you, Luna!
Hi Brian, I hope you are doing well. I read your poem in my English class as we are reading the book Refugee by Alan Grazt, your poem is a powerful and surprising piece of work, also I really liked that it can be read in different ways, changing its perspective and I feel it is a very descriptive poem and will help people see refugees differently.
Thank you, Geronimo. That’s very kind of you.
Hi Brian, I hope you are doing well.
I read your poem in my English class as we are reading the book Refugee by Alan Grazt.
Your poem is a powerful and surprising piece of work, also I really liked that it can be read in different ways, changing its perspective and I feel it is a very descriptive poem and will help people see refugees differently.
Thanks, GC. Hope you are doing well, too.
Hello Brian, I hope you are doing well. I’m a student and I want to leave this comment how much I honored your poem!
In English class, we are reading a book called Refugee by Alan Gratz about 3 people with a mission of escaping their country. One day my teacher showed us your poem Refugee. When I read your poem for the first time, I was quite amazed. I felt that your writing had something that others did not. your ability to bring more than one perspective to the poem was something I found admirable and interesting, and it allowed me to compare two different realities about survival. Thank you for letting us read this poem and letting us share the types of perspectives people can face in real life. Fanny
What a lovely thing to write. Thank you so much, Fanny.
Hy Brian, I’m a student of 8th grade in Colombia who, in a lesson of English, read this amazing poem. This inspired me a lot with the point of view that you put on hear. You make me feel really good by having another thought of the meanings of some words. Thanks for doing something so incredible. I love it.
Thanks for your kind comments, Anto. That’s made my day!
Your poem is a masterpiece. The way you reverse perspectives with a simple change in reading order is both cool and interesting. It makes the reader look at their own thoughts and change their point of view on such an important topic. Thank you for using poetry to challenge perceptions and inspire empathy. -Sara–
Thank you, Sara. Thank you for taking the time to write such kind words.
Thank you for creating such a beautiful poem. I found it quite thoughtful, and I can see how some people think refugees don’t need help, while others have an empathetic perspective of being kind to those in need.
Thanks very much, Hannah. That’s very kind of you.
Your poem is a powerful example of how structure and order can transform the meaning of the message. When read from top to bottom, it presents a harsh and exclusionary perspective, reflecting discourses that are unfortunately common in today’s world. However, by reversing the order, the true intention emerges clearly, a call for empathy, humanity and solidarity. The way you play with the direction of the reading not only makes an impact, but also forces the reader to reflect on their own prejudices and how language can manipulate the perception of reality. It is a very intelligent and very philosophical work. Thank you for this poem.
And thank you for your insightful analysis.
Hi Brian. I am a student from 8th grade. I really admire how you wrote the poem so we can read it in both ways and each has an opposite meaning. It is like the first thing I see to be written like that and for me that is very cool. It seems that the poem does not like refugees and thinks that they are not like other people. For him they are bad people, and they should go to where they came from. But from bottom to top,the meaning changes a lot because now it says that we should help them and support them because they are as other people, they are not bad and we should welcome them everywhere. For me it is just amazing.
Thanks, Tomás. That’s very kind of you. I’m glad to hear you got a lot out of the poem.
Hi Brian,
I’m a student in 8th grade from Colombia, and in my English class, we read this amazing poem. It truly inspired me, especially the way you played with perspective and meaning. Reading it from top to bottom gives one message, but from bottom to top, it completely transforms, making me rethink how words and ideas can be twisted. This made me reflect on how language and perception shape our views of the world.
Thank you, Luciana. What a lovely message for me to read this morning.
Hello Brian my name is Isabella, I´m a 8th grade student and I recently read your poem on english class. You make a exceptional piece of reverse poetry, I admire how you play with the differents perspectives we have about immigrants and refugees know days. This poetry challenge our emotions generating us and chock in the first impression but then giving a change on the mening making us reflect on today’s prejudices and the importance of empathy.
That’s most kind of you, Isabella. That’s a really good summary of the poem.
Hello Brain, I’m an 8th grade student and in our English class we read your amazing poem and I want to tell you what I think of it. I find incredible how you were able to express yourself using the same words, showing two points of view, one incredible and the other not so good, but what you did with this poem is not something that just anyone can do. You are a hero of poetry. Keep expressing yourself like this to continue influencing this world so that they realize the truth.
What a lovely thing to say, Sophia. I’m so pleased the poem had that impact on you.
i think your book is fly vro keep it up
Thanks very much
How did you make the poem so good !
Hi brian I am a 8th student and I haven’t read many poems in my life, mostly because of my age, but let me tell you that of the few I’ve read, yours is one of the ones that has surprised me the most. You touch on a topic that, over time, I feel has been forgotten, and it remains a super important issue. I’ve never read a poem that can be read two ways and express two things completely. I really liked this characteristic of your poem. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, Valentina.
Dear Brian Bilston,
We are writing to you today from a year 5 class in Cardiff. We wanted to tell that we loved your poem and it was very clever. We like the interesting choices of words you used. We we’re very shocked upon reading your poem the first time from top to bottom, but were relieved when reading from bottom to top. We think it’s got a strong message and makes the reader think a lot.
We have some questions to ask you if that’s okay:
What inspired you to write this poem about refugees?
Why do you hide your identity and will it ever be revealed?
How long did it take you to write this poem?
How hard was it to write this poem?
What is your planning process for writing poems?
How much research is required before writing a poem?
Do you have any top tips for aspiring poets?
Thank you for reading our comment.
Hello year 5 in Cardiff. Thanks for studying my poem – and I’m relieved you read it from bottom to top! You’d have thought me a very bad person indeed if not. Thanks for your questions. I’ve had a go at answering them:
What inspired you to write this poem about refugees?
I’d been watching a news report on my TV about a group of refugees who had lost their lives when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean. After that, I read the responses of people on social media to this catastrophe. Most people showed sorrow and pity towards these refugees, but others showed no sympathy at all. I wanted to write a poem which presented these two very different reactions, but write it in a way which ends with a positive statement of support for refugees and why we need to show compassion towards them, not hate.
Why do you hide your identity and will it ever be revealed?
I don’t really enjoy being in the spotlight and would much prefer my poems to do the talking. Nowadays, though, I do have to read poems on stage so I fear the days of remaining anonymous may soon be over!
How long did it take you to write this poem?
I wrote it in an afternoon – but I’d been thinking about it for weeks. I’d seen another poem which had used that forwards / backwards structure and it took me a while to figure out that the divisions we see in reactions to refugees would be the perfect topic on which to use it.
How hard was it to write this poem?
Really tricky! I wouldn’t want to do it again! You really do have to take it one line at a time – and for each line you add, you need to check that it still works from the bottom upwards.
What is your planning process for writing poems?
I do a lot of planning in my head. Usually when I have an idea for a poem (which might be a topic or a word or even a joke), I’ll walk around with it in my brain for a few days. If it’s a very short poem, the writing process might be quite quick and it’ll be written in minutes. But other poems, I’ll dump all my thoughts down on to a page first. It can be a right mess! I’ll then sift through them to try and find an entry point to the poem, or a phrase or a line which I can use to get me up and running. These poems can take days or weeks – and sometimes they never quite materialise at all.
How much research is required before writing a poem?
It depends. If it’s about a feeling or something that has happened to me, then I don’t really need to do any research. Sometimes, though, I write about a particular topic or subject which may be less familiar to me – in which case, I may do a lot of research. For instance, I wanted to write a poem about cat and dog idioms (eg ‘don’t let the cat out of the bag’ or ‘it’s a dog eat dog world) so I spent time compiling a list of these, which formed the basis of my poem.
Do you have any top tips for aspiring poets?
Read! Preferably poetry – but it could be anything. If you read poetry, then you start to develop a sense of particular poets you like – or particular poems. You can have a think about why it is you like them: what are they doing that appeals to you? Is it the way language is used, or the tone or structure, or just the idea behind it all? Over time, your own writing will develop as you absorb all these ideas and influences (and often you won’t even know you have absorbed them!).
Good luck, year 5, with all your future poeming!
Kia ora Brian
Chuffed I found out about your scribblings.. somewhat fortuitously on the radio…yep am one of the community gardeners.. As we lampoon..buffoons whilst luxuriating in the boon of an afternoon lagoon.. cocooned in our voluptuously festooned verdant oasis ..or something like that..
As an old timer rhymer loving the perverse universe of verse..just sorry it took me so bloody long..but have never ever been on Twitter.. even before it became seedier..bitter and greedier..alright shitter and needier..
Appreciate this is just random punter chunter….but had a gander at your epic poem/tome highlighting our dander at the propaganda..sadly nowt has changed…how they now kowtow..pander to the nonsense of Rwanda..
“Refugees” was the first reverse verse or palindrome poem (not really right) I have perused and thought it was tickled by genuine genius.. so much so I shared it with all me regulars.. at Dunedin’s Farmers Market who were similarly agog (where I flog grog..alechemy not egg nog).
Brian you inspired and fired me to have a go…so yes committing that cardinal sin which causes chagrin…of sending another poem in…
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/damn_it_this_is_our_planet_1733087
Oh and appreciate there is probably no refuge from the deluge of messages & missives you get…random fandom…or poet and reader in tandem..
Ta and ta ra
Toby
Thanks, Toby, for your kind words – and your poetic words, too. I enjoyed them very much. Keep having fun slinging them around.
hi! It’s Aleena here, for my history homework I had to write about refugees poem. It really changed my look in how to look on refugees and the WAY you wrote it is soo AMAZING! Bye . I’m in year7
Thank you, Aleena. What a lovely to thing to write!
Brian, I just wanted to say thank you for your poem Refugees.
It’s rare to encounter a piece of art that can literally reverse its meaning depending on your perspective — a poetic palindrome that forces the reader to confront their own biases and capacity for empathy. Reading it both ways was a deeply emotional experience for me.
Your work captures something fundamental about the human condition: our stories are shaped by the direction we choose to see the world from.
This poem is especially personal to me. I live in Ukraine, and when the war began in February 2022, my family had to flee to France for two years to escape the violence. They only returned home in January 2024. So the theme of displacement and finding refuge is not abstract to me — it’s something I have lived through.
If you have a moment: Did you envision the “reverse” structure first, or did it emerge as you wrote?
Thank you again for your honesty and creativity.
With appreciation,
Yuriy Ukhorskyi
Dear Yuriy, thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your story with me. My thoughts go out to everyone who has had their lives turned upside down and have had to seek a new home.
As for the writing, I had the idea for a poem using a reverse structure first; what took the time was figuring out what kind of topic to use it for. Many months later, I watched a story about poor refugees who had tragically lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean and then read the different responses to this story on social media. That was when I thought that our reactions to the refugees crisis would be a suitable topic for this kind of structure.
Best wishes,
Brian
I think this poem was very good and impressive that it was a palindrome. It also rhymed well and had a good message.
Thank you, Ellie.
Hi Brian
I found it very cool once I realised that the poem could be read backwards, at first I saw you as a very unfair person.
From, Ben
Thanks, Ben. Glad you carried on reading.
Hi Brian. I translated your poem into Portuguese:
Refugiados
Eles não precisam da nossa ajuda
Por isso não me digam que
Estas pessoas esgotadas podíamos ser tu e eu
Caso a vida tivesse dado outras voltas
Temos que vê-los por aquilo que realmente são
Oportunistas e parasitas
Mandriões e preguiçosos
Carregados de bombas
Assassinos e ladrões
Eles não são
Bem-vindos aqui
Devíamos fazer com que fossem
Voltar para os países de onde vieram
Eles não podem
Partilhar a nossa comida
Partilhar as nossas casas
Partilhar os nossos países
Mas em vez disso
Vamos construir um muro para os mantermos de fora
Não é correto dizer
Que eles são pessoas como nós
Uma terra devia ser só dos que nela nasceram
Não sejas tão burro que penses que
O mundo pode ser visto de outra forma
(Agora leia de baixo para cima)
That’s amazing. Thank you. I mean, I don’t speak or read Portuguese but I imagine it is, anyway. It was hard enough to write in its original English; the thought of someone being able to translate it is mildly mind boggling.
Hi Brian. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the poem. The thing that I was most intrigued about was that the poem reflected an entirely opposite point of view when read backwards. A very interesting piece of writing! I will definitely recommend it to others.
Thank you, Michael.
Hello.
I just wanted to say, my friends got a bit shocked at first when they read the poem. They said that they were outraged when they read that the refugees should be seen as “chancers and scroungers”, but all of that soon turned around when they read it other way. Some even went to say that it had a somewhat hilarious tone to it.