Explorations: New and Revisited Poems

By Rene´ A. Martin

In this his fifth book of poems, Caribbean-American poet, Rene A. Martin continues his explorations of themes both profound (the meaning of human existence) and diverting (how our seemingly intelligent species yet manages to display such absurdity). Ultimately, the poetry is an attempt to look into, discern, and explore what lies at the core of the human heart.

The book begins with new poems, most written over the last four years. Subsequent poems are extracted from the previous four books, with some revision, beginning with the most recent and ending with his first publication. They appear in this order:
Shoal of Time (2010); When Darkness Comes (2007); Bending The Light (2005); Seashells (2003).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503550490

Rene´ A. Martin

Rene´ A. Martin, a professor of English at Miami-Dade College in Florida, USA, is a Caribbean-American poet who grew up in what is today known as The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the poems in his earlier books are informed by his experiences growing up in and later, revisiting his island homeland. Inevitably, though, his experiences in the US, where he has lived since 1988, and in the many countries he has visited, have yielded additional material and inspiration for his poetry. Above all, his hope is that the poems in this book will delight his readers.

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Copyright © 2015 by René A. Martin.

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.

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Rev. date: 03/09/2015

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Contents

Part 1 New poems

Attributes

Things That Really Matter

A Day Like This

Hope

Forgiveness

Remains Of The (6th) Day

Glee

A Heavenly Mystery Deconstructed

Conversion 313

Serenity

I Won This One

The Gleaning

The Groundsman

Arenal

Miraflores

The Appeal and Challenge of Ruins

Mitad del Mundo

Workplace Family Values

To Be of Use

Dinner-Time Haiku

Nature’s Plan

Fairytale

The Promise

Quatrains

This Truth Behold

The New Order

War Brief

What Technology Has Wrought

Crazy, He Calls Me

Bailout Blues

Sucker-punch

Dog Days

Gun Play

Skyscapes

Echoes From The Past

Ant Heaven

Labor Day

Rebirth

Size This

Taiwan Wedding For 1

The Practice

A Matter of Size

Two Haiku

Part 2 Poems from Shoal of Time

Selected Quatrains (from Shoal of Time)

1

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Shoal of Time

The Diners Across The Aisle

Dear Emily Dickinson

Meditation II

Triptych

The Zong Massacre

Partial Catalog of Bending’s Many Virtues

After Dark

Disneywood

Listen

Tell Me Why, Mamma

A Fable for the Ages

Part 3 Poems from When Darkness Comes

A Warning

Heart of Darkness

Hiroshima: sixtieth anniversary

Negativity

Prognostication

On Eating: a Meditation

Night

A Few Questions

Part 4 Poems from Bending the Light

Flatlander

Bending the Light

Police Band

Sparrow, Kitck and Melody

Is We Comb

The Christmas in Mayaro

All That Jazz

Flower Power

New Order Affirmed

Part 5 Poems from Seashells

The Testimony of Seashells

Breakthrough

Nostalgia

The Beach at Daybreak

Homecoming

Word Soldier

Thoughts on Getting My Dog Fixed

A Meditation on Love

You, Temptress

Special Effects

Tribute

Slave Ship

Frederick Douglass

A Stamp for Malcolm

Stokely Carmichael

On Contemplating Presidential Proclamation 5431

Four Haiku

Haiku #1

Haiku #8

Haiku #9

Haiku #10

Part 1

New poems

Attributes

V ision that in densest forest

is able to discern trees—

A mind that’s not easily swayed

by any passing breeze—

A tongue that eschews silver

and instead chooses gold—

A heart that no assaulting chill

can ever render cold—

A hand that’s ever loathe

to form into a fist—

Feet that stay the arduous course

despite the fog and mist

Things That Really Matter

A fter all is said and done,

what things really matter?

Ample food to sustain life

Access to potable water

Sanitary conditions and

unpolluted air

A comfortable bed

Adequate appropriate attire

Freedom to dream one’s dreams

Freedom to love and thereby

banish hate

Freedom to enjoy being alive

A Day Like This

H ow could one fail to appreciate the blessing

Of being alive on a day like this?

The lush green grass, the clear rain-drenched ponds,

The opulent, self-satisfied clouds drifting by,

The deep-blue sky, the trees that wave and nod

Their heads as I go by, the birds in eager gossip

On telephone lines– even the constant drone

Of traffic in the distance, and the stentorian

Crescendo and diminuendo of the occasional car

Rushing by– are obliged to pay obeisance and

Lend to the enjoyment of a day like this.

Hope

T he rising Sun ushers in the morn’

A new day is born—

All Nature rejoices and with activity hums,

The perils of night overcome.

This new lease on life, the promise it holds,

The tasks that may be accomplished,

The injuries untold for which atonement

May be made—

New hope planted in a fertile soil

Ere the light of day fade.

Forgiveness

A word of caution

For any head

Of state—

We tend to become

The very thing

We hate

A gentle reminder

To the world—

Forgive thy enemy

Is no call to

Generosity—

It’s a formula for

Saving

Your very own

Soul

Remains Of The (6th) Day

T hen God looked on what