Poetry night and me… isn’t it funny?

Feb 17, 2013 News

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By Abena Rockcliffe

The powers of literary arts are absolutely amazing, point taken, but let’s narrow it down to poetry.
William Hazlitt, an English writer and painter, referred to poetry as the “universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself.” While, Hannah Arendt, a German- American philosopher, said that “Poetry, whose material is language, is perhaps the most human and lest worldly of the arts, the one in which the end product remains closest to the thought that inspired it.”
You see the thing is that poetry is a very powerful tool that can be used to induce change, consciousness, talk about love, struggles, the happy times and many other things.
Most of what I stated above are things that lots of people already know. But, what is important to note is that Guyana has a host of youths who have developed the art of effectively expressing themselves through poetry and as a friend of mine would say “that’s big”.
What is sad, though, is that there is only one place where young poets, though not recognized by that title, can meet, share their talent and listen to others; that place is the Upscale Restaurant in Hinck Street, Georgetown.
Two Tuesdays ago, upon the demand of my cousin, Kiana Wilburg, I accompanied her to the venue to attend the “poetry slam.” I attended Poetry night once before, and I must say I enjoyed the occasion, but that Tuesday night was exceptional.
Ten poets were involved in the ‘slam” but one young man dropped out after he forgot most of his words for the poem. I noted the fact that all the patrons sought to encourage him and the moderator, Yaphet Jackman, was even offering to give him a special prize for his efforts but he left the building.
I fell in love with poetry and grew an appreciation for poets when I was in Fourth form, but that night I renewed my vows to poetry.

The poet that blew me away was 28-year-old Jermaine Joseph; a teacher of Business Management and English at Three Miles Secondary School in Bartica.
Joseph had mine and the attention of most other patrons from the beginning to the end of the recitation of his poem titled ‘Isn’t it funny?’ What was absolutely captivating about the poem is that it was all about reality. It covered the oddities of life.
The phrase “isn’t it funny how…” was used repetitively throughout the poem to introduce each of the humanly behaviour spoken about.
Few of them were actually funny, but all posed as eye openers.
Joseph, who recently concluded his training to become a teacher, said that he was introduced to the Upscale world of poetry by Randolph Critchlow, his uncle, who is a seasoned Poet.
“I used to write a long time ago, but wasn’t aware that there was a forum like this to come and express your thoughts and feeling in this manner.”
Joseph expressed that he is heartened at the opportunity to “share your point of view” and from the audience’s response you can tell if it is a consensus opinion.
“It’s an expensive hobby I have, because I travel from Bartica each first and last Tuesday to be here, but the satisfaction is worth it.”
Joseph said that he intends to continue poetry and wants to publish a book with various pieces.
He informed that he has already written about 40 poems. He said that his intention when writing most of his pieces is for them to be satirical but somehow, “they always emerge into a serious poem.”

Below is the full text of the poem:

Isn’t it funny?   

Isn’t it funny how a woman who was beaten
Beyond the point of consciousness,
Swears that she would never go back to her abuser,
But before her wounds are healed she is back in his arms “cussing down “the persons who rendered their services in her hour of trauma?

Isn’t it funny how an athlete, of any discipline, having broken or fractured a limb promises to give up that sport and pursue a different path,
But no sooner is that fracture healed than you can see that said person involved in that same sport with even more zeal than he previously exerted?

Isn’t it funny how teenage mothers swear after the first conception, “me, I could never get caught up in this situation again” which causes excruciating pain;
One would expect their words to be factual as they utter these ramblings with pure disdain, but the sad reality is, give them a few months and they are back in the same vein?

Isn’t it funny how people take up religion as if it is a “thing” to be toyed with, or some sort of solace after they would have gone through some difficult situation or circumstance in life, but having received some extent of comfort, they almost always forget the comforter and subside into the abyss of their previous existence?

Isn’t it funny how human beings gravitate to bad habits with much more alacrity than they gravitate to good ones?

I could never fathom how a man can find himself easier drawn to a spliff, heroine or even cocaine, but that same man would look at a book as though it is poisonous, injurious to his health and something never to be ventured into.

Isn’t it funny how we all perceived love as teenagers, as this one and only God-sent person for us that we would surely die for or without;
But, having grown up we have now come to that stage whereby we are truly cognizant of the fact that love, more than anything else, consists of an individual’s ability to forgive his or her spouse for their humanity, forgiveness for humanity because it is our innate nature as human beings that causes us to err continuously our humanity that causes incalculable hurt and injury to the ones that we profess to love?

Isn’t it funny how one would want to assume the position as a teacher, an educator, a parent, a friend or even a role model and the major advice that these people can render is “do as I say and not as I do?”

Come on, can you expect me to learn from you and not emulate your actions? Isn’t it empirically proven that a significant proportion of what we learn comes from what we see? Then should I garner that the so-called major advice that you dished out so unreservedly, was nothing but a sham, a facade to hide your true identity from me?

Isn’t it funny how our black brothers and sisters treat each other?

You see we are always so quick to castigate and decimate our own, always professing ill-will and wishing that no good will prevail over our own. We behave as though they are without worth or merit
But in the same breath, we can muster just enough love and care to oversee the wellbeing of persons of varying ethnicities. You see the thing that accelerates our decline is right in front of us but it is just that our eyes are always wide shut.

Isn’t it funny how everything in this world seem to be laden with irony, how persons are never who they say they are, their actions are always the antithesis to the advice they give, persons words are never their bond? Damn this thing is confusing and soothing, depending on which angle you are looking at it from.

So isn’t it funny how this entire world is nothing but an astronomical charade?

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