Fire's Voice

By Kasi Senge Senghor

THE 1970 BLACK POWER REVOLUTION IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO SPAWNED MOST OF THESE POEMS. AFRICANS AND INDIANS UNITE. YOUNG AFRICAN MEN MURDER EACH OTHER. SOCIETY LOOKS ON. THE SYSTEM CUTS DEEP. EVERYBODY KNOWS. SUCHNESS. THE WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. Creating spaces. HAVE PATIENCE. AM JUST A POET. ADDING YEARS. THE WORK SPEAKS. LISTEN MORE OFTEN TO THINGS THAN TO BEINGS. TO ITSELF. TOYS. More space.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499080780

Kasi Senge Senghor

Kasi Senghor is a 65 year old Trinidadian who likes to read and write poetry. As a young adult he enjoyed Shakespeare, and P.G. Wodehouse. He is greatly influenced by Trini Calypsonians, Lord Kitchener, Mighty Sparrow, Mighty Dukeand Mighty Shadow. He has learnt much from and is grateful to the following Trini poets for their inspiration and good example: Anson Gonzalez, Ceteswayo Murai (deceased), Abdul (The Bad Poet) Malik, Marina Omowale Maxwell (founder of the Writers Union of Trinidad &Tobago), Lasana Kwesi, Hollis Peters, Willi Chen, David Jackman, Jennifer Amaleta Kernahan, Eintou Pearl Springer, Leroi Clarke, Lutalo Masimba, JosephCummings; and novelists Earl Lovelace, Merle Hodge and Dr. Beverley-Ann Scott among many others too numerous to mention here. Kasi has served the Writers Union of Trinidad & Tobago in the capacity of General Secretary and President and has also conducted workshops with students from Port-of-Span schools. He is currently a member of the Circle of Poets.

Book preview

Fire’s Voice

KASI SENGE SENGHOR

Copyright © 2014 by Kasi Senge Senghor.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014917944

ISBN:      Hardcover    978-1-4990-8079-7

                Softcover       978-1-4990-8080-3

                eBook            978-1-4990-8078-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Photos on pages 17, 43, 51 and 70 are courtesy of Apoesho Mutope. Used with permission.

Rev. date: 10/22/2014

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Contents

PART I

Wining Waist

Sedley Medley

Legions

Races

Yard Bleeding

Cariblood 1

Bottle Washer

Sometimes I Remember

One Vessel

Adding Years

Emancipation

Mr. Speaker, Sir

Nelson St. Boys

Leader Ship

Patience

Busy -Corner

Padman

Chet

PART II

Not Yet Agape

MaraCasi

Cariblood 2

Drumology

Antiguo

Know-Guns Heroes

Captain to Cook

Vessel Too

Nobodies

Gracefully Letting Go

Suchness

When Santa Comes

Toys

Ask

Education

Ice Cream

Defense De Fence

Everybody Knows

PART I

Listen more often to things than to beings.. the fire’s voice is heard

Birago Diop

Dedicated to those who died in the struggle.

Wining Waist

wining waist

is as vulgar as masquerading

who mother playing with

for over a hundred years

with a rhythm as rare

as if she care

who flag we wave

beating dudup

heating corn soup

who pouring wine

we drinking for years

drunk each time

through battle and tears

she dance Burroquid

chip with Saldenha

win queen of band

you playing sailor in sea salt man

a city kid a all star a sunland

she whip she iron and she be d boss

she children love she win or loss

drunk from she bottles cuts from she wars

praying to get no sleep for hours

she done play she mas

is we who have to face d class

and pass

you beating book or you beating pan

you still have to come out man and woman

ingenuity of 20th century creativity

rubber on wood drilling with steel

femininity dingolaying masculinity

for all who siddown dey and refuse to feel

man in harmony wining two woman on the bass

fresh powder flesh colour brushing yuh face

every creed every race exchanging