Poems

Estranged Encounter

Spotted him again

The previous evening

On a street, by chance.

Paused he, for a moment

And tried hard

Reflecting in

My questioning eyes

To discover

Some friendly

Old acquaintance.

Perhaps, he too

Let out

A familiar feeling

Of some connection

Snapped on the

Tiring path

From the past.

But like me

He also could not surmount

The tangles of

Dusty layers

Camping long in the

Labyrinths of memory

While conspiring together

On both the sides;

Steadfast in their

Stubbornness,

Disallowing any search

Deeper within

For discovery of

Any common connection.

Caught in dilemma,

Neither, he spoke his mind,

Nor, could I.

In our hearts, though

We searched thoroughly

Those ledgers closed

Long In the past,

But was nothing found.

And then

The two of us,

Together,

Dragging our hesitant

And unwilling feet,

Set off in despair,

Escaping from

The grasp of

The estranged encounter.

– Bimal Saigal

Hey Diddle Diddle

Nivea, how yu come home so soon?

Tell me all dat yu learn in school

Hey diddle, diddle

The cat and di fiddle

The cow jump over di moon

Nivea, what yu learn from ‘di teacha’

Whe teach in di dancehall school?

Being a bleach-out face

Colouring book

Is di real ting

Black isn’t cool

Di radio

Di TV

Di internet

And a bundle of ‘failing schools’

Have di pickney dem failing algebra

But pass test

To form real fool

No Civics

No Garvey

No Culture

Tun mi one suckling

Inna fool

A jus hey diddle diddle

The cat and di fiddle

The cow jump over di moon ...

– Lisa Gaye Taylor