A Haiku for You

Just about a year ago, Kezumie Weekly introduced me to a new word: haiku. Yes, my limited vocabulary is oh so shameful, but lucky for me I'm still young and refining ;-)) It was a nice sounding word that turned out to be a description of a Japanese-type poetry. Further research has led me to conclude that a haiku seems an ideal powerhouse : short but very compact, combustible even, need I also mention - economical.

At the same time, they are like such pretty little flowers you give to someone special, notes of specialness. As more persons go on to discover the haiku, it seems they are becoming popular gifts for those special occassions and just because whims. Working on a few myself.

Dare I say it? One more threat to the greeting card? Come on now, personal personal was always on everybody's wishlist.

Have a great weekend!

Pear Time

My sweetheart at home says he's never seen a pear, much more to have ever had one. Sounds funny to some extent, but yet again we live in Jamaica where our idea of a pear equates with some varieties of what's called an avocado. Here, pear, the fruit from temperate places is called American Pear. This is what he claims to have never tasted.

So I decided to make him less provincial and introduce him to one or two of the varieties - Anjou and Boss - available locally. Into the light and with excitement.

And since I'm at it, this is how we here in JA have our own pear. Since summer salads aren't so very filling, I like to hit it up against some nice, soft bulla and call it supper. Believe me, beside sweethearts and a good book, it's the next best thing to come home to. Be sure to ask for it on your next trip down. I love pear season!!

You're So Special

(Via Etsy)

Yes, you are - gold brass Memoirs Swallow Locket by Glitzer available here on their Etsy store.

It doesn't exactly fit the profile of a statement necklace, but for me a locket is the ultimate expression of cherish, history and intimacy. A locket seems very much like a promise, so very personal, private and esteemed. The gold brass finish on this piece is a rich sentimental blend which makes it so special.

I'm a lover of sentimental jewellery not for the sake of owning a possession but simply for what it connotes. I quite think Glitzer hit the mark on this one. Don't you think?

Facing up: Soulmate Fantasy vs the Reality of Incompatability

Yesterday's posting of the loft got me to thinking further of issues of love, dreams, wishlists, reality and incompatability.

Ever had your heart set on ... It seems to me this picture has the ideal structure I am looking for in a loft, seen it in my dreams even. My mock up (scratchings) mirrors it somewhat and the simple, clean lines seem to be a natural attraction beckoning me to move in. So why not?

Because its barren sterility leaves me feeling empty, cold and void of the eclectic warmth that courses through my soul. It would indeed be sad to give up on the beauty that is this space on this basis, especially if you own it. Surely, with the additions of decor and personal style, the space could easily evolve into ideal.

But mature backbones do not play 'hung up', adults ought to lead the life they dream.

Willing-up Some Inspiration

I am at that place
where laughter feels foreign, a bloodshot of guilt
The prospect of joy - strange and dim.
I'm sitting in times grave with the ambivalence of silence.
where the sentiment of dreams have gone deflated;
and my whole being has never been this shattered.

(Via Desire to Inspire)

So, I'm trying to will me up some inspiration.

Ideally, I'd love to own a loft. Just not one this sterile. But I must say I like the openness of this one with its clean, modern lines and that statement light pendant is a must have.

Here this minute, Gone in 15

Just another day, another not so ordinary day, up and ready to go. Who would have guessed, to meet the transient nature of life.

Angella Garwood (1961-2009)

A Chance Questionning Pamela Mordecai

Growing up as a student in Jamaica, the name Pamela Mordecai was synonymous with books for English language mastery and poetry. Think: New Junior English Revised and Sunsong. However, the lady behind the name is more than the cover. She is a poet, a writer, a teacher, a scholar and a living literary mastermind, with a whole body of work spanning several decades that commands serious attention and speaks to its own relevance. And of course, to my proud boast - an Alpha girl!

(Via All Booskstore.com)

I came across her poem 'My Sister Cries the Sea' and it was like a personal rediscovery. I am honestly put over the edge of awe when I read the effortless grace with which she writes and the creole duality of language she uses. So... I took a chance, on Facebook.

Mustered up some boldness and posed some questions I had been dying to ask from day one. Here are her unedited responses:


SS: Who is a poet?

PM: Well, the most inclusive definition would be, “anyone who has ever written a poem”. Another, more limited one might be, “one who earns a living from writing poetry.” And of course, there’s a pretty wide range in between!

SS:How can one find his/her voice as a poet? (Is this a crazy question?)

PM: No, it’s not crazy. I’m assuming that what you mean by ‘voice’ is the particular, unique way of writing – sometimes referred to as a ‘signature’ – that makes a poem distinctive, identifies it as the poet’s own and no one else’s. There’s only one way to do this and that is to become very skilled at your craft, in other words, become a really fine poet. As for how one goes about becoming a good poet, there are now thousands of books, websites, blogs, etc., that give advice on how to do that; there are fine arts programs in universities and colleges, and there are workshops offered by writing schools (intra-mural and long distance) and individuals, and there are writing retreats to go to all over the world, including in the Caribbean. Any google or bling search will give any aspiring poet loads of information.

SS: How do you get your poems from your soul to the page?

PM: Well, I don’t know about the ‘soul’ part. They come from the whole of me, and they are often very bad-behave, so I guess maybe I have a bad-behaving soul! But to answer the question, I simply write them down and keep revising till I get them right. There are a few people I ask to read them for me, including my husband Martin, a superb writer, and my daughter Rachel, who is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she teaches English, as well as other writers who are family and friends. I call on my colleagues as well, but only the ones I know will be honest.

SS: What were you thinking when you wrote 'My Sister Cries the Sea'?

PM: Poets shouldn’t ever answer questions like this, but just for you! I suppose I was thinking that Earth is dying, because we are killing her with pollution, and I was visualizing how that was showing itself in places in the Caribbean where I’ve lived (Jamaica, Trinidad). The ‘sister’ in the poem is, perhaps, all the women who know and are concerned about this impending death, and perhaps all the women writers (so they are sisters in that special way, as fellow writers) who know it, and perhaps the women who foresee earth’s dying as part as an impending end-of-the-world scenario, since I do think we are looking at the end of the world. But I hope there’s more to the poem than that. (Like, why is she ‘crying the sea’?) But I’m not going to do any more explaining of it… Poems should speak for themselves.

SS: Do you have a routine for reading/performing your poems?

PM: Again, I’m not exactly sure what you mean by a routine. If it’s a reading where I can do what I please (in other words, one that’s not confined to a particular book), I usually try to include some children’s poems because I have some that work very well and because I want people to recognize that good poetry for children is good poetry for everybody. I also rehearse what I’m going to read, even if I’ve read the poems a hundred times, and I time the readings carefully, since I hate when readers go over their allotted time. I try to take my audience into account as well, and to choose poems that will appeal to them. But that’s about as routine as it gets.

SS: What is your fondest memory as an Alpha girl?

PM: Roller-skating around the old McAuley Hall.

SS: May I contact you again if i have other questions?

PM: Absolutely. Thanks for your interest in my poetry. I’m going to take the opportunity to mention my collection of short fiction, PINK ICING, which appeared in 2006. You can see a review at http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/205862

You can also read the first story at http://www.insomniacpress.com/title.php?id=1-897178-32-

And you can listen to me read an excerpt at http://www.hswliteraryagency.humber.ca/videos/Pam%20Mordecai.mov

I also highly recommend following her blog http://jahworld-pmordecai.blogspot.com/, it is teeming with inspiration.