www.blogtalkradio.com/intheauthorscornerwithetienne
We talked about my journey from Antigua, where I was born, to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands where I grew up, then to the USA, Liberia, England, and finally to Switzerland.
We also talked about how I became a writer. We barely touched the surface of what is to come. The interview will continue on Friday, October, 25.
As a child of generations of immigrants and a victim of
a civil war, I am always fascinated by the mitigating causes of the journey immigrants
make, whether, driven by war, natural catastrophes or whether driven by the
desire to improve their economic lot.
The poems The Stories of Immigrants reflect my attempt to get into the
marrow of their ordeals
The Nakedness of New
In this place there are
no monuments to my history,
no familiar signs
that give me bearings,
no corner shops
where food can take me
on a journey home.
Fresh-faced
in an old country,
the new lingo
is a gurgle in throats.
Strange words assault my
ears,
throw me off balance.
I seek refuge in
mother-tongue
wherever I find or hear it.
Hunger for my people’s
voices
has forged odd friendships.
But they have begun to fray
and I cling to shreds.
Cold stares gouge an open
wound.
Winter’s icy fangs bite deep
down.
A “foreigner” is dust in the
eye
and many believe I have come
to plunder their treasures.
Come, hug the cold away,
rock me in your arms,
clothe me in your warmth,
tell me everything will be
okay
Pull me back from the
cliff’s edge.
© Althea Romeo-Mark 05.06.10
The Antigua and Barbuda
Review of Books, 2012
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| Visiting Elaine on one of my visits to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. |
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| Cookie Beach, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands |
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