54 Bootham, W.H. Auden
History - W.H.Auden was born on this site in 1907, while he only lived here until 1908, he is now commemorated as a child of York with a heritage plaque. W.H Auden was one of the leading writers & poets of the 20th century. His work was dominated by themes of history, death, and mortality, and he wrote at length on politics and religion. Though he married Erika Mann, daughter of novelist Thomas Mann, this was solely to provide her with British nationality, saving her from the Nazis. Auden was a homosexual, who considered himself married to his long term partner, american poet, Chester Kallman. Auden died in 1973 at the age of 66.
The Black Sheep of Bootham Bar
For Auden
They say — they — they say,
That we are unwittingly “born this way”,
Did they know, they, that he was gay,
Little Auden strolled this way.
What an odd ‘un, queer, they say.
Nine bob note, as folk, say they.
Eleven months down thereabouts all told,
& eleven months can change a world,
W.H. stands for walking here,
W.H. walks for being here,
W.H. - being, for us, still being here.
What an odd ‘un, queer they say,
Nine bob note, as folk, they say,
Queer, say I, & W.H. for Was.Here.
Prompt
As you stand near the birthplace of W.H. Auden, feel the weight of history beneath your feet. Imagine Auden as a young boy, walking through these same streets, his queer identity growing quietly alongside him in a world that didn’t understand. Walk slowly, as if each step is a nod to every queer poet who has ever questioned their place in the world. With each step, repeat Auden’s name to yourself—W.H., Was Here. Let it echo in your chest like a heartbeat, a reminder that queer voices have always been here, even when history tried to erase them.
Write a poem that honours the ghosts of those who walked these streets before you. Use Auden’s birth site as a metaphor for the hidden, quiet beginnings of queer identity. Reflect on what it means to be “odd” or “queer” in a world that expects conformity. Start with the phrase "They say"—and challenge what they say. What does being here mean to you? How does your presence, and the presence of queerness in the past, resist erasure? Let your poem be both a conversation with Auden and a declaration that queer voices will continue to be heard. There are many arguments against the limiting statement that we are “born this way”, but those idiosyncrasies & nuances within us are developing within us from an early age. Bring them to life.