Trini Wisdom

In the evening shadows
of Toco’s wild bush,
where the quenk and gouti run,
a wake stirs the trees
and the macaque adds
its descant screeches to the dirge.

Someone is left
to gather a shattered life
in this vigour of flora,
this dance of fauna;
and Trinis continue
wining their bodies
to soca and parang,
to maco-talk
and mauvais langue.

(From Voices from a Silk-Cotton tree)