GUYANA Beneath the Shadow of thy wings

35 Poems By Dmitri Allicock

I LIKE IT OUTSIDE THE BOX I’m independent minded wherever I go And don’t necessary go with the flow

I have always searched for the truth Those entrenched values of my youth

I avoid the trickery of the crowd Stay clear from the noise of the loud

I look to the brighter side of things the most To Guyana’s rich cultural history, I give a toast

I invite you to get out of the box since it is free Take a chance, break the trance and you shall see

Comfort is a well-worn pair of shoes before it breaks Life is the unknown and the path less traveled to take.

THE SWEETNESS OF YOU

How sweet is your smile I say?

The thoughts that you wake with today

Is it like the fruits we love to eat?

One that makes the heart skip a beat

Only you can control the sweetness of you

And it is reflected in everything you do.

HOMEMADE IS STILL THE BEST

Homemade ice cream so sweet

Essence of Soursop or mango to eat

Creamy custard to pour

Waiting taste buds adore

Specials occasions gets a turn

Cranking handle we must churn

Thick richness of milk

Cold softness so smooth as silk

Round and round I dream

Waiting anxiously for ice cream

Salt and ice in can so cold

Memories of times to behold.

LIFE OF NO REGRETS [West Coast Demerara]

Young and carefree in Anna Catherina’s sun The glory of life and fun

Song of innocence, laughter and dance The simple joy of living at every chance

Little things that we must remember

Even if the stage of our life is September That we also once discovered the secrets of living

And we should still face our realities by singing

We must live a life without regret From sunrise to sunset

Count your blessing in the things you do And your happiness and dreams will come true.

ON THE MEND End of the road? I say not Since Guyana is the spot

Two old Land Rovers in the clatter I wonder what can be the matter

Their engines no longer run A Guyana’s mechanic is second to none

He wouldn’t quit in the daze Will have them moving in amaze

A mechanic that never went to school Covered in grease and carrying his tools

Sees another opportunity to lick He will look for an easy fix

Old parts and patch work is the blend Odds and ends, Land Rovers on the mend

Tighten some nuts, connect two wires And the sweet hum of engines to light his fire.

OPPORTUNITY IS THE WORD Don’t chase your passion. Take it with you as you pursue

opportunity or your dreams.

Reach for the stars Pursue that opportunity afar

Carry your passion and believe And your goals in life can be achieve

Remember to take you passion with you And chase those dreams in all that you do.

BLACK PUDDING LADY

A stone throw between sweetness and delight

Lives a special lady selling Guyana’s marmite

Black pudding with mango sour and mauby to go

With an alluring aroma when ocean breeze blow

You will always find her with a smile on her face

And big delicious black pudding rolls in her case

Black pudding on grease-proof paper in your hand

To relish from that lady with the black pudding stand.

A FEEL FOR HOME

This lovely parrot caught my eye

Perched on a tree branch up high

A sentinel with a bird’s eye view

By the river where the birds flew

Enjoying the rhythm of the world

Dancing in the breeze of that swirl.

I LIKE THE WATER FRONT

[Kwakwani- Berbice River] There’s majesty in the water twinkle

In the serenity I can hear a tinkle A river running in the day’s gleam

My thoughts together with the stream

A river of a forever life Flowing thru the ages without strife

On the water front it just glide With the rhythm of its tide

Perhaps it has been part of us from the start Something within us that will never part

A river flowing wild and free To the bosom of the eternal sea.

THE RARE TAILOR

[West Coast Demerara]

Here is a tailor from the simpler times

Sharp dressing and self-respect chimes

Sewing with the details of quality rich

Delicate work of fashion with every stitch

A machine needle bobbing up and down

Spools of thread spinning round and round

For the eons before me it was the norm

His flawless masterpiece coming into form

For what is a man without his personal touch?

We are indeed going to miss you very much

I will remember your stitch that saves nine

When I wear these readymade clothes of mine.

SWEET & SOUR Life is sweet and sour like a tamarind ball

You will rise and you will also fall There are delicious flavors for the heart That comes with both bitter and the tart

A tamarind ball of pepper like a fire The blaze of your youth of desire

The alluring spice of tamarind juice Tantalizing mouth size sweetness to induce

Life is like the flood of the pouring rain Yet like the sun that will shine bright again

A delicate balance where I strive to be Sweet and sour flavor of tamarind I see.

LAST ROUND UP

Riding beneath the Berbice sun

The day’s work almost done

Feeling the ease of my ride

It is wonderful to be alive

Whether it is sunny or grey

A last round up at end of day

Today it is warm and bright

I’m headed home in the evening light.

KISSING ROCK

Mabaruma

Nature’s kiss and simply divine

Sending shivers down my spine

Rocks that seems hard and still

And yet with that sensual thrill

Puckered within Mabaruma lush

The breathless caress of sweet hush

An imploring of that heavenly peace

A kiss where all words can now cease.

ONE FOOT CHICKEN

Oh delicate leaves cooked by the bundle

Noble nourishment not only for the humble

Growing along the roadside for the pickings

A Guyanese callaloo called one foot chicken

Poi, carila, bhagi, and spinach of the land of green

Stew of callaloo a good alternative to bora bean

Add coconut milk, salt beef, shrimp or dried fish

Richly prepared and served over splendid rice dish

A side of fried yellow plantain of aromatic smell

Mouthwatering Eddo Callaloo that taste so well.

LABBA IN THE BUSH

(Cuniculus paca) Around the tree the kokerites drop Ripe and sweet makes a labba stop

Snippety! Crackity! Beneath the tree The chestnut brown labba likes to be

In the shade of the sun, Macaws shout It’s raining kokerites for a labba’s mouth Kokerites! Kokerites! Too much to feed

Eats his fill then scampers to bury the seeds.

CHICKEN CLUCKS A joy for children’s faces

The chicken coop is the place Picking up fresh eggs in the pen Kuh kuh kuh KACK! Of the hen

We’d watched the hen in the light The low pitch cluck, cluck is a sight

Restless as she was surely ready to lay And to the box in the coop on her way

Children, looking with much fun A hen laying, little lives just begun

An egg to the delight of cackling loud One to be pick up by a child smiling proud

The old chicken coop from whence A thrill of my childhood in every sense The warbling of clucks of chicken yaps

Calmness of thoughts while the chicken naps.

CROSS OVER TO HAPPINESS

[Marshall Falls] Deep within the heart of your blue

Lies an existence of a true wonderful you A place of peace for the confused mind

A pathway to happiness that you can find

A hidden realm between the lush of the trees Away from the noise and the unwanted sneeze

From anger, discontent and the depression bemoan And that bridge to happiness you must cross alone

As easy as listening to what your heart wants to say Yearning for the righteous journey to content today Up ahead lies the vastness of a new world asunder

Like the purity of the Marshall falls as it thunder

A crossover to happiness of watery eyes appeal A chance over the troubled waters revealed

For you to push straight ahead to the twinkles of hope To let go of your pain forever, down the slippery slope.

PAINT A PICTURE BRIGHT Paint a picture of colors to behold Live a life more precious than gold Think about the image you’ll frame The colors that will light your flame

Paint a picture of your innermost will You have the choice of colors to fulfill Get your canvas and let the brush flow

Release the image within and let it glow

Paint a picture, a story with your brush Use that unique talent given to all of us

Let it shine in your heart like it ought to be And share it like a gift for everyone to see

Paint a picture of what lives in your mind It is indeed very special and one of a kind

The image are words and snapshots of you A bright and lovely picture of what you do.

A DONKEY RIDE To ride a donkey a childhood dream

Like Clint Eastwood in Guyana’s gleam Riding with the countryside flow

Clipity clopping where happiness goes

To ride a donkey was a privilege in the day Like Jesus along Jerusalem way

Fun in the heart of childhood play The control of the reins of a stray

To ride a donkey was a chance of a kick And also a risk of serious licks

To relive John Wayne from the matinee place The amazing joy on a boy’s face.

A PARROT’S JOY (Blue-headed pionus- Pionus menstruus)

The delight of a boy A pet parrot is his joy

His precious parrot glows And takes him where he goes

The pleasure that they both share Moment he’ll remember of his childhood years.

UNDER THE PLUM TREE

[Linden- Upper Demerara- Guyana] Under the plum tree I’ll shelter from the heat Enjoy the conversation of the friends I meet Under the plum tree a kiskadee soar above I will be crossing over to the land that I love

Under the plum tree I am going home to find Those memories of childhood I left behind

Under the plum tree where my truth began I will search for what made the man that I am

Under the plum tree I look to Wismar Shore I can see my family and friends that I adore Under the plum tree I hope to find my past The breeze blow and peace of mind will last

Under the plum tree I know where I belong The love of my family that makes me strong

Under the plum tree I see the Ferry on its way And I shall wave farewell, headed home to stay.

A COIN TOSS

Linden- Upper Demerara.

[ A Carwyn Holland photo] They’re some days that’ll never die

A game of cricket that had real pride Within the quietness of my dreams Cricket still runs inside like a stream

A weekend game in the sun was keen Chores done, I’d leave the home clean And under Upper Demerara’s gleam

Headed for the ground with my team

Enthusiasm on our faces we shared When the coin was tossed in the air

Coin spinning and waiting on the call As we sniffed the brand new leather ball

Boyhood days filled with cricket hopes Chasing the ball in the ditches and slopes Bowling a ball to make the stumps spill

Or lifting it high in the sky with your skill.

CLEAR WING BUTTERFLY

(Cithaerias sp.) Iwokrama

Here is a Guyana butterfly that glow Reminds me of Cinderella of long ago

Its stunning iridescence wings are a sight Like Cinderella’s glass slippers in her flight

Fragile like glass, it floats in a trance Twinkling crystals of Cinderella’s dance

Like a Missy of passion for your eyes Drifting like a quiet dream in the skies

Soft like the petals of a heavenly taste Cinderella butterfly must win this race

Searching for the nectar of pollen laden A shining prince of fertility for this maiden.

LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD Our life is frittered by details and we must try

To simplify, simplify and then simplify Take a good look all around

So much going on to weigh you down

We pack far too much in the day more often than not Checking emails, social media before breakfast pot

Too much to do in this overly connected world And you forget the important needs of your swirl

You lose sight and forget the ones you love The most precious things beneath the skies above

So I have made a conscious decision to do less To lighten my load and give of my best

Through my simplification lens I make a vow To simplify and focus on the here and now

Reduce obligations I can no longer afford to give And pay more attention to my moments and live.

CALL OF THE WILD The call of the wild for any season

The galore of the Guyana in all regions Majestic green growing wild and free Like a juicy cashew calling from a tree

The rhythm of nature calling each hour High in the canopy bright orchid flowers Vines laden with simitoes in the brush

The sweet passion fruits calling in the lush

Corios dropping from a tree way up in the sky Calling for me to pick them up as I walk on by I must stop and listen to the call of the birds

Towa towa, the god bird and the best I’ve heard

And of course I shall step softy and with care Not to disturb the creatures in the garden we share

A call of the wild that has never been more pure That my soul will always answer for sure.

WHERE I PASSED- Wismar- Linden Here is a little Upper Demerara’s boy And a discarded car tire his roller toy

A place called Victory Valley is the scene No far from the river in the land of green

A car tire that he is rolling in the sun Making him strong and so much fun

I can see the song of life upon his face And memories of running the same race

A small community where simplicity is nestle Below where the train once passed on the trestle

And memories for this dear child that will last Along the pathway where I also once passed.

BARE FOOT CHILD

Feel the ground, feel the air

And walk with your feet bare

The best way to get that feel

To be bare feet is the real deal

Feel at one with the dirt and clay

Like our ancestors along the way

We were all bare feet as we grew

A feel that our toddler years knew

Feel the street or walk on the grass

Along life’s path where we may pass

It permits an awareness, in the sun

And much easier for a child to run

A bare feet child, ready for the chase

Victory Valley, Wismar, is the place

Chasing rainbow with slippers in hand

Feeling her world like I know you can.

RELICS OF TIME

[Guyana Museum] Relics that once had their glory

And with each of them, a dear story Some thought they’d never disappear

But they are long gone, it seems quite clear

Like the old tailor’s iron of the time The lost art of tailoring that was so fine What about that hand held ice shaver

And the snow cones with assorted flavors

I can smell the stew in the cast iron pot Sitting above yesterday’s coal pot glowing hot

Once upon a time they all had their lure And the stories of them will live on for sure.

TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORN [Pigeon Island ]

We have choices to make where we stand Our path and our destiny is in our hands

And it is always so beneath the blue skies The decisions, the directions for our eyes

We are responsible for our actions today Be it made of sunshine or a rainy day

To overcome those challenges at large We do have that ability to take charge

The obstacles along the way we all share We must approach with courage and no fear

And take that stubborn bull by the horn The rhythm of life from the day you were born.

THE GAMES WE PLAYED

(Painting of Elton Senior- Jamaica] Yesterday’s games, laughter and fun

We played outside till the day was done There were no mobile, Xbox, CD or laptop

We jumped, ran and did the hopscotch hop

There were no fancy gadgets, no Facebook Just an inviting shade by a trickling brook

We chased butterflies and watched the birds The best laughter of children I have ever heard

Cricket, rounders, football, once cast a spell The happy voices of children I remember well

The games of Guyana that many of us shared After all the graveyard jumbee left he pipe here

We did our chores and beg to go outside with friends Today, the computer games and indoor are the trend

We felt the air, taste the creek, touch the sands of play Maybe we’re the last of the outside children I dare say.

THE PLIMPLER’S WAY Life is full of plimplers everywhere we go Plimpler here, plimpler there, to and fro But if you like a beautiful rose to share You must accept the plimplers it bears

Plimplers like daggers for your skin A world of happy and sad as it spin

To know joy is to know pain they say A lesson of nature’s along the way

Plimplers, protecting the plant or tree The laws of survival, a lesson for free

Like the plimplers of the awarra sweet Ensuring they’ll always be around to eat.

OLD BUS

Wheels of this bus don’t go round and round

Rusting along a country road without a sound

Asleep forever beneath a warm Guyana’s Sun

Plying the coastal roads, its work already done

Gone are the days, you were shiny and new

Fresh like the sea breeze and morning dew

Splendor of your busload where friends greet

Your cushion seats of rest for the tired feet

Those villages which you passed, much to see

Brushing pass mangoes overhanging from trees

Whining along the way as the livestock crossed

The echoes of folks and words of creoles tossed

Your wheels no longer turn, the songbird sings

Yet the sight of you and the memories you bring

Your farewell image far from where you roam

Seats still carrying passengers all the way home.

COCONUT SAKI

Palm Tanager-Thraupis episcopus) I watched my coconut fronds dancing in the air I saw a coconut saki but the bird was unaware He blended in so well with the green in the sky

A flash of his cautious movement caught my eye

I always remember seeing them flying in pairs And calls like ‘seeyou’ or ‘wheerst’ on the ears I stood watching its greenish feathered wings And I thought of the birds, fruits and all things

My coconut tree dancing in the morning breeze A coconut saki jumping on the branches with ease

Then I heard him sing his song in the Guyana’s light Before he swooped to join his friends and from sight.

BARETHROATED TIGER HERON

(Tigrisoma mexicanum)

Here is Tiger Heron looking cute

Searching for prey in a tiger suit

Stepping carefully where it’s wet

Hoping for a fish or frog you bet

Slowly moving towards the noise

Stepping so carefully with poise

A mission of stealth and pretend

His plumage and nature, a blend

Waiting patiently, completely still

Calm and always ready for his fill

Detecting eyes of irises so yellow

A grasp of a morsel for this fellow.

OLD TIME GAFF [Clonbrook- East Coast Demerara] Good friends and memories of old

A precious gaff worth more that gold The stories of Guyana, ages like wine

Friends that withstood the test of time

An old time gaff is better than any book At the corner of a village named Clonbrook Wrinkled brow and their hair turning gray A tradition of Guyana and words they say

Sweet melody of those things they share In the shade of the cool Atlantic Ocean’s air

I have traveled the skies of many places about And an old time gaff is a treasure without doubt.

THE END.