Saturday, October 06, 2007

Spirit of El Che lives on

Ancestor Dr. Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Born:14th June 1928

Crossed over: 9th October 1967

EL CHE IN CONGO-AFRIKA

"Intimately tied to the concept of cadre is the capacity for sacrifice, for demonstrating through personal example the truths and watchwords of the revolution. The cadres, as political leaders, should gain the respect of the workers by their actions. It is absolutely imperative that they count on the respect and affection of their companeros, whom they should guide along the vanguard paths..."

EL CHE captured in Bolivia

MAY THE ANCESTORS BE PLEASED WITH HIS EFFORTS!

Thursday, October 04, 2007

International Poetry Day 2007- dedication



JUNCTURE


1.
orifice of cocker

over millenniums convened
cocker an' derwent,
indigenous brigante, pristine scot-lands
trailing danes, vikings an' saxons;
confronted fortified murrish led romans
near borders of fells, near crags an' lake
fledging market town, here dwelled pondering
quakers, wesleyan, reformers, presbyterians,
anglicans, catholics an' cavaliers,
wordsworth: spy, lover an' poet
even dalton: scientist an' teacher,
fallows: zealous royal astronomer
as fletcher: pirate an' mutineer
without bounty were given birth
to trod narrow paths carefully
as do tourists or local ramblers
keen to record weather patterns
"never enough time . . . "
meeting places or churches now fortified
without guarded toll gates
from slither by locks, alarm
electrified fences an' chicken-wire,
beneath castled dull memory
of percy's clan defence against
marauding scots. Self-destructive bert
a brute or clear solway view
from the hay. Friendships easy
forged like little bridges near
green memorial to forgotten fallen
heroes. So bitches on leach can
pee against once saplings on
guided pursuit of space to breathe.
Dean's royal yew tree shelters
belfangan muurish graceful dancing clogs
attended with sax, duff an' accordian
to applause on narrow road


2.
east haverfordwest

austere female wardens shut
on time access to castells or caers
two ends of a forked spectrum
afon cleddau from east an' west
recalls picton, williams, newton
an' carew clan/destined trails with or
without cricket starving southern
colonies high tide equanimity
bold misadventure anywhere fish dread
hungry aggressive seagulls. Stalking crossable
bridges and rusty rail dreams of brunel
connecting regenerated walled towns
spanning ports. Here tourists ponder
bargains seeking fleeting pleasures
hoping repatriated alternative prices
remedies for swollen ripened discontent
or relief of weather near ole'
borders. Cambrian peaks frame shooting
stars that hover with drenched cardigan's amazement
by one luna's rainfall measure in an hour
flooding summer news, blood of the innocents,
parents beseeching "get our boys back home"
so no tears- armed serving daughters
rumours of impeachment abound


3.
sandale cul de sac

one time spring flowing crystal streams
concrete expansion of saynt lucien's blue
ranged madness, slapdash trenches
school friend kenny gill destined tragic
mud burial working
unstable sewer pipes
near much too large to modernise
burglar proofed bungalows
surrounded by tended feral gardens,
here beggorat's decision still induces fear
agitating chattel descendants. Covigne river
like waterfalls of rich plain, polluting factories in marriage
congo village near diamond vale, no more lettuce
cabbage bedded, zangee an' cayman,
or green pool,for wooden shacks
vehicles with brick houses jostle
for space, edging a walled rubbished
blue basin river wandering toward high brow
west ghetto moorings under
view of an afrikan built british citadel
"call dat george.."
an' make gulf reclaim mangrove
placate clamour for change
ritualise those deemed criminal deportees'
exterminate immoral commerce


4.
sauced worcester

cold severn an' teem estuary never
nourishing mango, papaya, balata, gru-gru
or chennette nonetheless salmons strive upriver
unperturbed swans pose near canal-boat
emitting explicated diesel, shored fern cuffed turf
carpets silver birch, oak shadows on trek
restrictions for foot and mouth.
so no permission across a donkey brays an accolade
for dudley an' foley severe threatening
as nearby sewer odours belch


5.
dissimilar abode agus

where bavarian weir vomits sanitised polluted
vassa. Had bertolt brecht witnessed
berlin wall collapse, might he now
appreciate maurice as a bishop's martyrdom,
luther's sermon or new aged nostradamas
lech field's vision of flame spewing is-real walled
contempt denounced travesty. Alleged heinous
atrocities bind captive elected custodians
dragged afore edict internationale. Idealist
conscious youth oppose memories
of guilt as humanity still eludes


6.
mugran based

armed legislated relatives as predators
astride camels haunt wounded ass riding
famished sudanese broods
el fasher to nyala, kassala to juba: protracted
bloody bicker of bluewhite niles. Assumed
hydrocarbons deposits fuel calculated
genocide recognised or hidden
blameless generations dignity stripped
petrified an' naked woolly heads
keeping silence at these junctures
seeking external conflict resolution
awaiting precarious western compassion
guised as sky falling victuals


7.
aberystwyth


again two rivers
meet by same name
another lingua another place
expectations,
out in comes
never the same



© Roi Kwabena

excerpt from AS LONG AS

Monday, October 01, 2007

5th November 2007-PARODY

so pure

whenever i stop to take notice

parody is easy to relish

nevertheless

another late train departs as i

remain fastened to this bench on platform 6

wondering if the spiralling price of oil will affect

living standards for the poor in my oil rich isles

relatives complain they are

unable to protect themselves any more

a former prime minister proclaims

time for each man to own a gun

lawyers protest the conditions on remand yard

queen’s counsel retained at enormous state

expense for the scoring of political advantage

engineered class partition, identified as racial conflict


how pure is bottled pure spring water?


excerpt from the anthology


UPWRITE
collected poetry & essays 1977-2007
due in November 2007

ROI KWABENA





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