Tuesday 29 May 2012

Ephemeral History

Clearly I have been very distracted working on my next TMA on oral, printed and post colonial texts - ie the Bushmen, Robinson Crusoe and Derek Walcott. I have got another obsession for  Walcott's poetry. What a find! Here is a token poem to keep the spark alive but I look forward to the summer when I have a break from studying and can think creatively.


Ephemeral history

On the other side of the world
shaded by a canopy of thick green palms
another man sits,
watching  the history of his Caribbean  island
unfold around  him
mirrored on the shifting stage of the sea. 

While the searing sun throws
deceptive shadows over the cloudy waters
and sudden rain stitches stars in the sand
he catches images in his hand and
writes, pressing past into present.

For today, Carnival comes,
bringing history to life;
 it’s chaotic noise echoing down the years
 the chanting , the drumming, the singers,
the dancers, whose bodies move with ancient memory,
the vibrant colours which paint the sun soaked ground
with living graffiti.

And now it is gone
its essence lost to the annals of time,
only to be captured fleetingly in the poetry
of the solitary man
who writes its voice.

No comments:

Post a Comment