daydream

the daydream




motionless
fashioned ties
grow apart





supported by caring bonds
never neglected. Dreams




bloom as expected .When




we celebrate




possibilities
awake as we daydream

© roi kwabena

ogun lives on (for clive bradley)

Clive Bradley

Veteran Steelband Arranger

1936-2005

was up spring flow road

we met and it was raining

sxango was peeling. So

we sheltered under a mango tree

discussing heritage issues

both adamant of the need

to protect the arts for prosperity

he agreed with a sparkle in his eyes

reminding me of struggle for pan

plus where it was today

i countered i was a writer

and he smiled at me suggesting

that one day too i would stand sheltering

from yemanja here

to yet tell a youth

just as he was doing same

i queried whether he understood

power of Orishas

protecting our PAN

he accepted ...

so today i shout:

Ogun lives on...

as i pour libations for this the general...

whose music

and company i am proud

to announce i had

pleasure to enjoy

ashe

for DR. KUNIJWOK GWADO AYOKER (1943-2005)

“…..force these foods down
the throats of Africans…

the human-well being is not considered

when some are out to make money... "

Dr Kunijwok Kwawang on Genetic Foods

“KOKIWEI”

for DR. KUNIJWOK GWADO AYOKER KWAWANG 1943- 2005

unarrived victuals
tabloid nor satellite intelligence
disguise plunder

kokiwei:

“paying for life”
in dafur to tunga. Cattle

may never govern themselves
Tell nyala queen of justice
signed accord negated

cut akoc
we still drink

of niyl water

tell again volataire an’ garang
limbs be amutated
tounges remain truss

chattel be humans
sorely. Missing your analysis

© Roi Kwabena

hearing (for Amyrl Johnson-late Poet)

hearing

for Amyrl johnson ( 1946-2001)


"can you hear me?
big big commess in town"

Amyrl Johnson 2000 "..Calling"

hearing
yes hearing
the calling
your proclamation
so silent and carefully
the way you courageously
advised some
to tread in paradise.

i have buried too many
not only
little islands kill

hearing this calling. Emergency !
the cathedral on fire
strange metallic plants have sprouted
behind lady herbert's garden
an' naked godiva's ass-u-me grave
disturbed by tourism. Unrepentant

secrets no more you share.Anxiously

it was an email from london
hotspotwriters
alerting me to your
departure
not by train as always our
chance meetings no more
at larkin's hated destination

it was a fellow writer
nevertheless a black female scribe..

hearing quarry stones being
blasted ears ringing
trying to understand
this message. Blunt

torn in flesh
for sucking kiskadee
nestled on lagley, gathering
many ways. Coven-

-try
spirit undaunted
towering
fluttering before
like them blue-genes
on aripo plains...your
return home privately remains
good anytime
to pass away..as predicted..
today might not be a good day...

dead house silence unlike
humid nights at lookout from
lady chancellor's hill pass saint clair
your spoken-written lavway
nourishing inspired readers,
rapsoians will offer
deafening voices trembling
real orisha spirits
possessing temples...
inducing a call
to hear your calling

understand their own calling

for fresh fish price
hasn't changed; the little things
gorgons bol'faced gossip:
targarigua savannah
orange grove sugarcane
five rivers arouca mango
still falling baptist woman
praying manicoo still runnin';
macocious bad tongue geh mal yeux
humming birds contemplating
your eternal call. Geezan ages

cunumunu etal appreciating
ah good kankalang
dese days gyul... Tonnay !
born cobeaux to fight over carcass
though la basse privatised

tell Claudia jones now
i contradict als 'cause
nah only we uncaring islands
kill dem poets. Callin'

we still hearin'
your
calling

never to give in
forsakin'
we tongue

our heritage

●

© Roi Kwabena

for roger

for roger davies

We disregard
Splendour from which we came to this place
here we experience ache and discontent
Shallow spells of woven memories we ferry

Care
Attention
Respect
Conversation
Laughter
Smiles
Disparity
Tears

Silence
We can share
As we go halves free will

In time

our own theatre
Acting with resolve an’ option

Enter exit when prompted

What is the lesson?
Our mortality
Our fragility
Our strengths
Our destiny

Flowers wither and seeds again sprout
Forever assuring as seasons change

Immortality of our faces, dreams and ways

Roi Kwabena
2005-04-14

poet as one year old

lovenote4

LOVE NOTE4

soul mates
finding
each other. Gives
courage

so others may

find their own.Path

forward on this journey....

rk
in response to a marriage announcement

Time Is of the Essence

Time is of the Essence

Time is of the Essence
hope the fruit of patience
compromise may be difficult
But thinking is easy....
So why be in a hurry?

© Roi Kwabena

Arts Council of England

commissioned for "Waiting Rooms" project

making a poetic point

keeping tradition alive

Enlightenment and Dissent

nullo discrimine

nullo discrimine

nullo discrimine

recent ancestors

have enjoyed carbonated beverages

soda water for flatulence

tonic water for the gin

rum and cola wars still pervade

moments of silence…

rather reflection

will fill this poem

in humility to the all

as priestley would prefer

as we yet in our current mad haste

traditionally post modernist

to redress, reinterpret, revise

re-invent the now rusted wheel

as it is ……… (silence)

let us celebrate

this legacy

as we gather in Birmingham

city of trades

where industry married art

bearing prosperity

this revolutionary one

was here …

for many moons(silence)

for enlightenment and dissent

reviled exiled his works publicly burnt

the mob relentless

destroyed his places of worship and work,

even his home hounded

by the press of London

caricatured as the priestly politician

or the political pries

this ideas as still ahead of our time

scientific pursuits for useless wars we still toil

terror occupies the survival space

of so many this is how we use chemistry

have we learnt any lessons1773-2004

cities besieged…nations in turmoil

disorder hunger an’ disease

ancestor priestley once

you too with your family were

refugees to America

as many today to the north

from the south the east and west

in search of a utopian sanctuary

their homes and families rent as

under

innocence maimed,

dismembered

sacred trusts trampled by religious bigotry

electricity is not global

but a commodity to the highest bidder

science is viewed in many quarters

with not covert suspicion

we still ferry as in horse-drawn fly boats

corroded dreams along silent canals

discarded machines survive

as forgotten ghosts

in the glare of neon lights

still empty warehouses

an overgrown silence

inviting vandals and addicts

productivity replaced by

determined vandalism

for carbon monoxide reigns

predominant now

forget the love of liberty

being a Jacobean

look today at Haiti

from where else America sourced the guns

just like those manufactured in Birmingham

to fight numerous wars an’ revolutions

but still the resilient priestley advises

restraint,

tolerance

in spite of adversity,

temperance

understanding

for the originators of civilisation

the fathers and mothers of the once

wretched slaves

for they too are humans

hence his work on the history

of the corruption of Christianity

is this humanity’s fate

should we like that mob

who burnt his book

prod along as the old Birmingham

groping in the shadow of Soho house

neglecting lessons of the past

on a full moon

as the gun revisits us in Aston

forgive galton we still eat chocolate

drink coffee,

smoke tobacco

fair traded or not

we, especially those of us

who can afford it

even contribute our daily share

of carbon monoxide

even our love for vegetation

has waned

yet priestley promised us a window

in this crisis

with suitable humility the success

we so crave can be attained

reconnecting us to a calm

that we have long forgotten

flowers still bloom,

hybrid or genetically modified

preachers and politicians still bray

as an intelligent young girl of 12

from Handsworth,

whose parents hail from Leeds,

visits the Science museum

dreaming to be a nuclear physicist....

© roi kwabena 2004-2-16

Learning Day

Learning Day 2002

A child awakes

sense of scent tested

with breakfast

carefully or not prepared

Funny how we

humans

stake for granted

our memories

Every moment like a child

we grow

like time never old

always new

Learning is a process

We acquire…as order

of the universe

so too our senses

of taste

touch , feel

an’ need to know

skills

languages

skills

concepts

values

habits

instruments

in and out of institutions

(2)

hail Birmingham

home of the industrial revolution

from luna society to friends

here science and art

engaged genius

here we possess great resources

for centuries to come

we understand our precious resource

is the people not the buildings…

for this human source

proves more valuable

than megalithic structures

we erectmonuments

we neglectday of learning

in this human city living non-smoking

breathing diversity

kalidescope of colours

amazing soundstastes

feels and smells

hub of the midlands

where multilinguals

proclaim

victory over ignorance

accepting new experiences

as a child

never too old or proud

to feel smell taste

touch and know

in

and out of

virtual in reality

R.Kwabena© all rights reserved

Holocaust Day

In silence

let us reflect on

past vile mistakes

grave errors of judgement

that still evoke pain

senseless violence against innocent souls.

In hope let us now

never allow differences to cloud

our lucid vision of

better seasons when

hope an' prayer

turns into peaceful bliss.

Never

will we direct our

anger against humanity ...

for our future

on this planet ... our survival.

As long as

there be understanding

let reality of purpose

be our collective focus.

Sensitive plants

have sprouted

where flames once scorched earth

tears of joy replace

hapless fear

we are again

entrusted with new responsibilities

this day. As long

as

we keep on this journey

with understanding for energy

bearing gifts of diversity

to celebrate

unity equality

DIALOGUE instead of FORCE

as we ferry memories still

of those who strove and fell

this silence

commands us to appreciate

divinity within each other

for their memories are sacred

their cries will never go unheard

and

our children

will rememberso today - PEACE

understanding

patience in harmony

we bequeath

RK 2002

Birmingham City's Commemoration

of Holocaust day Memorial Day

forgive us our debts

Forgive Us Our Debts

........wish we had a father

not only in heaven

but also on earth.

we would forgive our debtors

and all those who

trespassed against us

the genocides...

the chattel slavery.....

the indentureship.....

the religious conversion....

the plunder of our antiquities....

the economic deprivation....

the scientific exclusion....

could we expect

our debts to be forgiven

so that we may feed our people

we wont be led into military aggression
we will uphold

the ideals of

tolerance and equality

we will fair trade all commodities
we will promote sustainable development

and protect the earth's environment

oh! can we expect our debts

to be forgiven as

we adhere to principles

that will be beneficial to all of humanity

we the rich-but considered

poor nations of the southern hemisphere.....

1998

RK

(dedicated to the Jubilee2000 cancel the Debt campaign)

Birmingham: Capital of Culture

Birmingham - Capital of Culture

This is no mirage

glittering canals engage Industry alongside

Genius exporting commerce and determination

of humans in waves with precious

resources settledin pursuit of excellence...

here a river flows directly

connected to many cities,

some bear her name begrudgingly

imitating her ingenuity feigning success

an' green men guardlike the sphinxes

promise of a sustainable future

with learning elders and youth multilingual

proclaiming victories

open spaces to breathe

alongside basins of promise

near where postmodernist world

leaders have quenched their thirst

minted coins...fashioned precious stones jostle

aromas of once exotic now only tempting

cuisines galore

carnivals in the shadow of public art

an entire district dedicated to balti

Luna society of scientific enquiryAston hall

where royalty dined

Abolitionists, friends and metal smiths

confer as harvested chocolate is still prepared

sporting arenas and automobile engines fine tuned

female advocacy...trade unionism

justice, equality and liberty

Rupert sacked but never conquered

soho house resonates charm

Be immersed in her

diversity without effort

celebrate the many

who gave in principle

to follow

forward

52º north

See now hear (feel) in the dark

So see now hear (in the dark) feel

"...was blind, but now I see"

John Newton : "Amazing Grace"

See now hear feel

Feel now,

hear sea Here

now feel see,

now feel hear an'

see in the dark (refrain)

buckra...guineas dosh...massaare

they who plunder an' rob

any different than those

who trade inhuman cargoes?

Lock, stock an? barrel

Eternal triangle retraced

from Whitehaven, Liverpool,

Bristol, Gloucester, Cardiff,

Birmingham an' London

a few prospered

so cups

may be filled

with rhum?

Raleigh ensured tobacco may

smoke first in Devon

Asphalt still pave roads

of trade, Commerce, banking with insurance

established pirates, buccaneers,

cow killers, privateers

Slavers out to sea, religious zealots

Archaic laws of eighteenth

(which) century?

Gold, emeralds, diamonds,

bauxite

cocoa, guns, shackles,

sugar, cottonpineapples, papayas, timber,

coffee, tomatoes, chocolate

filthy as mined coal

brandy parties,

St Giles' stinking drunken stupor

nursing gentlemen's

trade of wretched human cargo

Even locals pressed-ganged as crew

Spirited chimney boys, convicts,

those indebt, screaming kidnapped

daughters condemned as accomplices

for this trade starved on sail to

gold coast

Precious kidnapped cargoes

albeit humans

Chained afraid are some/none

on atlantic separated fading

memories of baobab denied

rights of passage or kinbeaten,

shackled in irons

Never to return!

so accept the sacrifice of Quamina

feel words of saved Rushton at this shrine...

as familiar names survive,

histories so entangled

Global deceit, new millennia

will but forced emancipation

did not end chattel slavery

as today showcases and brochures

brag post modern conveniences

dependant on supply of shackled labour in afrika,

asia unto lawless jungles of americas

Even in the kitchens of europe and middle east

pathetic excuses of abominable existence

before european's arrival

then legal, so no compensation

to daten benefactors pay no reparations

drinking blood like milk

Feel here now,

see now

hear /here

feel

Failed safe if only one is in captivity

None is free!

No dignity without equality!

No humanity

Without justice and liberty!

roi kwabena

2004/09/06

Commissioned by Braunarts for

the Birmingham launch of The Dark Exhibition 01.09.2004

© 2004

in the moment

For the opening of the Buddhist Pogata in Birmingham UK

IN THE MOMENT

fleeting pasts・ we consider
remember or forget

present in process
we bear witness
accept or reject

approaching future
naked aspirations or unfounded fears
we embrace or resist

however we calculate
our length of days on this plane
regard for this moment :
time an・destiny
like circles without end or begining
and what of divine order ?
deemed possession of all power?

a s time stays not still
ever rousing・nascent・changing
effecting triumph・displeasure
satisfaction ・indifference・amusement

accept
power of thought
words, actions
manifest
as the golden disc of our skies
illuminating our seasons
or far away stars
stimulating our minds

meditation guides our lives......
there is no beginning
no end

RK