Bennett-Coverley
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THERE WERE words to grow by at the Hope Gardens, Hope Road, St. Andrew, last Friday morning, as the Fourth Ceremony of Poets combined tree planting and, of course, poetry.
Two Neem trees in honour of Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett and Mikey Smith, the writer of Mi Cyaan Believe It, who was killed in Stony Hill on August 17, 1983, were planted in a cleaned-up Poets Corner. The clean-up effort had been supported by donations of equipment from a group of poets, including Angel Faith, Bunni Izik, Cherry Natural, Duane Francis, Habbakuk, Imali, Jah Shanti, Michael Parchment, Patrick Scott, Pepe Zahl, Ras Jaja, Ras Malekot, Ras Witter, Starman, Rajah Moses, Danijah and Rass Rod, some of whom were present on Friday.
POETS CORNER HISTORY
Poets Corner was opened by Edna Manley with the first Ceremony of Poets taking place on December 10, 1951. Prior to last Friday, the Poets Corner was last used for the Third Ceremony of Poets on November 30, 1967.
Before the planting, though, came the blessings and the opinions of the poets, who formed a circle for the occasion. Cherry Natural welcomed the gathering and Damali Robertson read Langston Hughes' Mother In War Time, concluding "she only thought one side might win/not that both might lose".
It was then the turn of each poet in the circle to speak, Rass Rod beginning with detailed information on the Neem tree, advising that the Poets Corner "is a base for the marketing of poetry". He also noted that the date was the anniversary of Garnet Silk's death; the singer's popular Splashing Dashing is based on a poem.
Ras Malekot recited a piece of Mikey Smith's Ah Feel It Yu See and Habbakuk also made his contribution in verse; noting "the future of the poet have to create/and that we have to appreciate". Princess Love was delighted at the show of unity, saying that "this is the team" to move poetry forward. Kuku Makka, the preaching poet, was brief, Pepe Zahl noted that Mikey Smith's death was "normal for a poet". He wished for poems of such strength that "there will be a big sign on the road 'caution, extremely dangerous poets'."
Spirit spoke about the different facets of poetry and the opportunities that were around and of the possibilities of linkage between different poetry organisations, such as the Rass Rodd led Dub Traffickers and the Poetry Society of Jamaica and Tuff Tuff Triangle, of which he is a part.
Angel Faith was adamant that "nutten naa gwaan" and expressed his desire for poets to travel and earn from their craft and Mikey Smith's influence was shown once again in 'Jack A Spades'. "When Mikey Smith dead I say I waan write suppen fi him," he said, duly delivering the piece, which described hardship graphically as "a seven piece band string up inna me belly".
Miss Lou's tree, the larger of the two, was planted first, different poets taking turns at digging the hole, putting the tree in place and patting down the earth. Just as it was appropriate that Cherry Natural and Princess Love patted the earth for Miss Lou's tree in place, along with Takura, it was fitting that Ras Malekot said a piece of Mikey Smith's Me Cyaan Believe It as he sank the fork into the ground for Smith's Neem tree to be planted.
Poet's Corner was pressed into service immediately, as logs from trees that had been cut up after September's Hurricane Ivan were rolled into place for a proper poetry reading.
