Twenty-five years and singing
rich volcano prompted melody
emerald green island poetry
germinated, fertilised in seismicity
staging real-life drama
in temporary theatre of permanent
craft of rhythmic body dance
or solid rock spiritual stance
negotiated reflectively
extracted from adversity
.
Five and twenty years of learning
inside mountain burning
natural science classes
pre and post-secondary
Doctors in philosophy
concerning volcanology
social science university
investigating community capacity
to thrive through life tragedy
deriving theory from history
A whole quarter century
of terror calming naturally
fear dissolving faith despite pain
growing and dying, coming and going
helping and coping, loss and gain
banks growing and collapsing
hearts breaking and mending
families long distance dying trying
re-building and succeeding firm
resolute island pride
Two long decades and a half
a generation knowing no southern part
Plymouth to O’Garro’s, Gages through Bethel
saw no cricket in Sturge Park’s lawn
Had not hot bath in emerald springs well
nor echo of St. Patrick’s or Anthony’s bell
felt not Big RA’s kilowatt power
never saw Trants sea island cotton cover
Montserrat Tapestries treasure shower
Emerald Garments or rice mill bran flour
In this big five times five lean years
countless lives stepped out of time
joined ancestral Amerindian line
of Trants archaeological burial dig
or Dagenham’s excavated afterlife spot
next to where lived Arrrow ManShop
many of Jesus followers found their lot
outside Thompson Field or Lookout land.
Twenty-five years in God’s mega-plan
enough only for human mini-lifespan
Jadiem
Lammerweide 37, 17th-18th July, 2020