GUYANA

SWEET TO THE CORE

Thirty Poems

By Dmitri Allicock

TWO FLOWERS IN A TREE

The beauty of life is in unexpected places

Like the happiness on these children faces

Time is so frantic and moves by us so swift

And we may lose sight of life’s greatest gift

So relax and follow the simpler things to see

Like these two flowers of Guyana up in a tree.

ETE DEWDROPS

Trembling dewdrops of the morn

The freshness of our new day born

Glistening on the ete roof like a pearl

A brief capsuling glow of our dear world.

BLUE HORIZON

[The Pakaraima Mt. Guyana)

Beyond the skyline lies a rising sun

A fresh & beautiful day, just begun

Lift your voice to the heaven & sing

The harmony of love and peace rings

Sing a song of life to the listening skies

Sing a song of hope and let rejoicing rise.

THE EYES OF A MACAW

A beauty of Guyana so true

Eye so golden looking at you

A sharp and very tough beak

Carefully viewing what it seek.

THE VIEW FROM A TREE

I remember being young and free

Enjoying the view high in a tree

Listening to the birds all around

The echoes of life distance sounds

Feeling the breeze and having fun

The laughter of innocence in the sun.

A VIEW FROM TURTLE MOUNTAIN

Listen to the voice of the whispering breeze

Look beyond the vastness of the verdant trees

Feel the wonder of nature that surrounds me

The great beauty of the horizon there is to see

A view so high from a Turtle mountain climb

And greet that one true immortal soul of time.

PUDDLES TO CUDDLE

Walk in the water puddles

Rainbows and roses to cuddle

Sing a song, say yes or say no

Say hello wherever you may go

Celebrate this life with pleasure

Courage, grace, are real treasures

You will fall but must rise again

To enjoy both the sun and the rain.

DON’T PELT & RUN

Should you see a Marabunta nest

Call an expert to deal with the pest

Or you may be stung & that’s not nice

Do not pelt and run but take my advice

The sting of a Marabunta will be tough

But an application of ice should be enough.

ALONG THE WAY TO KURUPUKARI

[Essequibo]

Life is about places along the way

Winding road with faces of the day

From the first moment when you rise

A fleeting glimpse before your eyes

Places of color, where you may stop

Like at this lovely Kurupukari shop

To inhale the serenity just for a while

And enjoy the freshness with a smile

A portrait of life’s blessings so grand

Along the way, where you may stand.

OLE LADY POND [Guyana]

The morning air is gentle and cool

Misty morning by the natural pool

Within the dim of the refreshing air

A symphony of sounds everywhere.

YELLOW ORIOLE(Icterus nigrogularis)

Their songs greets the daylight

Yellow oriole, colors so bright

Songbirds fly, songbirds sings

Symphony of what nature brings

Yellow Oriole of Guyana in a tree

Singing a song called wild and free.

SUNBURST FLOWER [Guyana]

A sunburst flower in its glory

Fragile blossom tells our story

Splendor of life in the new ray

Trembling petal kiss of the day

Trance of that wondrous gleam

The bloom of a morning stream

Twinkles of life’s reflecting glow

A wish of peace wherever you go.

A 1960S STROLL [Mackenzie, Upper

Demerara]

A stroll to wake the soul one more

Back in time and in the days of yore

A noiseless and divine footstep walk

Memories of delightful friendly talk

Dear Arivida road alongside the river

Echoes of Mackenzie makes me quiver

A stroll to buy the best ice cream cones

Down this memory lane that I’ve known.

TAKING THE SALUTE [The Girl Guides led by

the late Princess Blair- Circa 1960s- Arivida Rd.

Mackenzie Upper Demerara]

Left right! Left right!

Marching in the sunlight

The Girl Guides in the gaze

Arivida Road, back in the day

Image of time & a real treasure

The faces of hope, and pleasure

Left right! Left right! It was sung

A salute of the precious and the young.

ECHOES OF THE PULLMAN

[Mackenzie- Circa 1960- Upper Demerara]

The days of trembling tracks

Of Upper Demerara, way back

Whistle and thunder that excite

Laden cars coming with bauxite

Thick smoke of engine in mood

A rattling song of heart to soothe.

WINE & SONG

[Republic Ave- Linden- Guyana- Jan 2016]

Have a cold beer with foam

And music after your roam

A sparkly & sweet soda pop

And the song that don’t stop

Something that fills with fuzz

A Guyana’s drink and a buzz

High wine, vodka or some rum

And enjoy the music with a hum.

THE KING FISHER BLOWS

The horn of the bauxite ship blows

Clearing the way as the river flows

A century of bauxite, and the horn

In 1916, the bauxite king was born

Rhythm of Upper Demerara’s chime

The fortune of bauxite and that time

A heart wrenching boom and a thrill

Echoes of life flows on the river still

Shadow of a ship passing in the light

Swells of the waves as it sails from sight.

UP THE ROAD [Mackenzie- Linden]

I walked this road, many times before

And I was blessed to do so once more

I was amazed at changes along the way

My so precious Arvida back in the day

I tried to remember the different places

An older generation gone, and new faces

The school, town square & cinema of mine

Mackenzie of Upper Demerara back in time

A breezy day in January of 2016, my friend

And the footsteps of a journey without an end.

MY GRANDPARENT’S PLACE (Old

England-Upper Demerara)

For this earth is but a garden we tame

And the advancing forest will reclaim

My heart twinges of a yesterday gone

The Demerara Tides and a new dawn

My Grandparent’s place on this bank

Our boat stopped and we gave thanks

For those treasured love ones that rest

My dear Old England will stay blessed

The journey of time and memories gold

This sacred place in my heart to behold.

CHICKEN THIEF OF THE NIGHT

(Commacka, Upper Demerara)

A coop and home for many hens

A paddle lock on the chicken pen

Dog barking in the black of night

Loud squawking in the moonlight

Awaken from the hush of a sleep

And out of my warm bed, I leap

Is it chicken thief that I can smell?

With a stick in hand I will soon tell

Then I saw him and gave a whack

That chicken thief, staggering back

My dog then took him to the ground

A chicken thief of night that we found.

THE SWEETNESS OF PINK [Richmond Hill-

Upper Dem. Guyana]

As I anxiously awaits the birth of my granddaughter

Jada- I am thinking why pink is my favorite color,

Itsy bitsy pink fingers,

Wiggly pink little toes,

Teeny – tiny pink tummy,

Baby button pink nose…

Lullabies and laughter,

Lots of pink baby things,

to fill your heart,

With the Love a pink granddaughter brings.

MY BEAUTIFUL GRANDDAUGHTER- JADA-

6 DAYS OLD

Beautiful baby Jada, 6 days old, so small

Tears of such joy for Mom & Dad, and all

Looks like Mommy& she will grow so fast

Precious moments you know would not last

Cherish every second, every minute, each day

You'll be astounded by how fast time flies away

Her mom, Jasmine, was my baby not so long ago

Grandpa lovely Jada, I’ll smile as I watch you grow.

EMPTY CHAIR TO REMEMBER HOME

Until the next time we’re together again

An empty chair for you, I will maintain

In memory & honor of a life-long bond

For family, precious friends and beyond

Those from whom I learned life’s truth

Whose bonds lasted far from my youth

And will keep in my heart, forever near

Until we meet again in the coming years.

CHICKEN HAWK

A chicken hawk with its curve beak

Looking for something good to eat

Then like thunder it flashes and zooms

Grabbing a chicken to its doom.

THAT SHINE IN THE NEST

An angle of reflected light

Such a delicate and amazing delight

Rainbow colors dazzled by the essence

Of the humming bird miraculous iridescence.

FOOTHILLS OF PEACE [Guyana]

Celebrate each sunrise and sunset

The sounds, and the silences,

And the voices of peace, you bet.

Celebrate the glory of life with a toast

The journey on the dusty trail,

To the foothills of your dreams, the most.

A BOY & HIS PARROT

A boy and his parrot makes a beautiful pair

And no better friendship is found anywhere

No one can lure the parrot away from his side

His feathered green friend and his great pride

For he loves to teach the bird to talk and play

His best friend and a treasure that makes his

day.

MAKING A BLOW- BLOW [Pawpaw Stem

from my backyard]

Brighten your day when you are sad

Make a blow- blow and you’ll be glad

Get a pawpaw leaf and make your own

Make a pawpaw flute & change the tone

Think of the good times when you’re low

A simple pawpaw blow- blow and then blow.

BEND OF THE RIVER

[My wife, Evadney, visiting the Lucky Spot

Upper Demerara- Jan. 2016]

I listened from the shores in the shade

To all the sounds that the forest made

The rhythm of Guyana speaking words

The echoes of life, the river & the birds

The land, where the waters ran through

The blessings, the ways that I once knew

The stories of the gently Demerara tides

Where my roots & heart- strings are tied

Water cresting & ripples kisses the shore

Ebbing and slowly flowing with folklore

Swirling inside, things that give us worth

Calm & serene, the dear land of my birth

Anointed for life, from the heavens above

To rise high, to cherish and to always love,

MOON RISE

Watch the moon rise

And feel the good vibes

Watch the moon so bright

Drifting into the peace of the night.

THE END.