Taste of Essequibo River

Taste of Essequibo River

Habeeb Alli

Dec 09 2018

So late

I called your name in dreams

Laid bare on caskets of memories

The lavender rush at Christmas

Such lavish thoughts sought

Like wine drunk behind bars

By men who served country

The gates of the Lighthouse left half open

I see your smiles have not diminished

Only aged by sweet laughter kneaded with ginger and rum

Once you talked like a child in love

Now isn’t that Santa with a donkey cart out of Leguan?

People in Essequibo I visited

The thought of Cinderella country reminded me of you

How come Amerindians suffer suicide and the Indians have rice?

Where is the Blacks of Queenstown buried after Damon died?

This episode of togetherness

The once celebrated ride on open speedboats

Taken away by curtains and cellphones

I wish the openness of the lavender on rough Atlantic!

Season greetings they wish silently

Like an imprisoned murderer on death row

I shout Merry Christmas because my mother taught me so

I get the worse Trump that you could get- you don’t believe in Jesus Christ!

Yesterday I stayed in the Garden City

I wander from pillar to post wishing your sight again

Under the Peepal tree with a book logged between your lips

But the seawall broke down and a century and half of six races went frenzy

When will this craziness of shopping and gifting end? Giftland so North!

The dance to parang and sweet pepper pot should be the calendar year

End the hatred of who not to invite to the masquerade band- its free

Let mad bull and Mother Sally sell us sweet lies till morning come!

In Toronto, I stand on snow banks looking for Northern lights

The sleigh filled with forgiveness, mercy for humanity and end of wars

I strained myself lifting mounds of snow so I can see clearly the skies

I was told by First Nation elders- the ocean and animals are my family!