USVI Public Records

Document text

INSIDE THES {SSUE: The Literary Gem of the Caribbean Noreen Michael, Chief of Staff for Presi- dent Hall, is no new comer to poetry. As a child she loved reading and going to school. Al- though she is not cer- tain at what age she was introduced to po- etry, she thinks it was in middle school, and the poem that lingers in the back of her mind is “Lochinvar,” by Sir Wal- ter Scott. She had to memorize and recite the poem, and recalls with fondness that she en- joyed the entire process and was pleased with the outcome of the poem, which she under- stood. The real Lochinvar who inspired Sir Walter Scott to write the poem was James Montgom- ery, who along with his three brothers, were ex- iled from Scotland for their religious _ beliefs. They found safe haven in Ireland, until the time of the American Revolution, when they were again subjected to persecution owing to their religion. Consequently, they felt the best recourse was to travel to the USA and hide out in the wilds of America. Once in Amer- ica they joined the strug- gle for Liberty, and al- though James was just a youth, he went into the battle field with his fa- ther to fight and bore his musket like a veteran. Although Dr. Michael majored in English as an undergraduate student, she confesses, “I was not very fond of poetry, so I don’t really have a favor- ite poet.” Yet, the names of several poets are famil- iar to her and she adds, “There are some poems, however, that have had an impact on me, to in- clude Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116;’ Rudyard Kipling’s “If;’ Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken;” and Maya An- gelou’s, “Still I Rise.” Busy with her role as Chief of Staff at UVI, Dr. Michael found the rhythm and emotional sentiments of poetry luring her, so she re- marks: “In the last few years I have developed a greater appreciation for poetry and really relate to the poetry of our own local poet, Attorney Tre- genza A. Roach — his poem, ‘Sugar Song,’ be- ing one of my favorites.” A long time advo- cate of the humanities, Dr. Michael firmly be- lieves in this discipline as a transformative tool. When pressed about the role of poetry she has this to say, “I feel that poetry can serve as a means of helping stu- dents with self expres- sion; helping our stu- dents really appreciate varying perspectives on the human _ condition; demonstrating both the power and beauty of words, and understand- ing peoples and the times in which they lived or live.” Shawanna Tenisha Myers Biology Major, STT Campus Favorite Poet: Maya Angelou “Poetry is putting your emotions, ideas, and experi- ences in a beautiful art form to express yourself to others. Poetry is the language of our soul, the art of our hearts, and the production of our imaginations. It's a way to express my feelings when I don't know how to clearly express them to others. It is a way for someone to look into my soul and see the real me. Sometimes, I think my poetry can explain things bet- ter than I can.” Human Destruction The sea was still, the water like a piece of glass Until the human emerged from it, and shattered the silence. The soil a concrete block, solid and compact. Until the human trampled the soil, and pounded the clay. The grass stood robust, its green armor glowing in the sun. Until the human, when learning to run, ripped the grass right out of its roots. The trees were statuesque, majestic, decorated warriors of old. Until the human needed shelter, and hacked the tree from ear to ear. The wildlife used to thrive the jungle a kingdom to behold. Until the human needed land to grow his food, and scorched the forest alive. The marine life was bustling, free to swim where they desired Until the human needed a place to dump his waste, and smothered the oceans with poison. , PEST YOUR POETIC KNOWLEDGE I j (1) What is the Negritude Movement? ; 1(2) When and where did it start? a , I (3) Name a Caribbean poet who is associated with this movement? I The first person to respond will win The Caribbean | Writer’s 2011 Calendar—12 Months of Art & Poetry. 1 j Email your answers to qmars@uvi.edu. ' The sky was an abundant shield, a suit of armor in the air. Until the human needed transport, suffocating the clouds until they choked. The arctic mammals lived in peace, resting and feeding on the ice. Until the human made it warm, the mammals now drown into a watery grave. From the sea came the tidal wave and crushed some of them, from the soil came the earthquake and demolished some of them, from the grass came the barren droughts and starved some of them, from the trees came the carbon dioxide and suffocated some of them, from the forest came the wildfires and burnt some of them, from the skies came the thunderstorm and struck some of them, from the ice came the blizzard and froze some of them, and from the humans came destruction that eradi- cated all of them. Idrees M. Donaie 9th Grade, St. Croix Educational Complex, Favorite poem: “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath. “Writing poems make me feel relaxed. When a poem comes to me, it flows like water going down a water- fall.” My Love My love for her grows every day Her smile wakes me up every morning Her voice is music to my ears Her eyes glare with a passion Her hair, long and silky Her laugh, adorable Her personality, unforgettable Her height, unreachable My love for her grows day by day. For those of you who saw the Bathroom Poems on St. Croix campus before they were removed and told us how much you enjoyed and appreciated them, thanks for your support. Their removal was out of our hands. te LariBheau Weiter The Literary Gem of the Caribbean University of the Virgin Islands e RR I, Box 10,000 e Kingshill, St. Croix e USVI 00850 @ Phone: 340-692-4152 E-mail: info@thecaribbeanwriter.org www.thecaribbeanwriter.org