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Sister Omega
United Kingdom
2085 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Oct 2006 : 14:16:03
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WEST AFRICAN COAST
Great Atlantic Ocean
What secrets do you bear
Great Atlantic Ocean
I know youll always be there.
I want to pay homage
To show you respect
I am no longer in bondage
I am free to sail on this journey of prohibition.
I place my feet on your sandy shores
Feeling excuberate
For my journey is now over
Once more I am liberated
To be near you and in you.
The tide is crashing on the seashore
The sun is so bright in daylight
The heat is intense.
Coral reefs succumb under my feet
As I straddle through the waves
To cleanse my skin with salt purification
A good stimulation
Unblocking my pores in a trance like meditation.
Home once more
I and my companion stroll
Along the beach.
During the night
As the moon is shining bright
Accompanied by the stars
As if we were part of a fairy tale.
His Ebony skin is close to mine
I feel so divine.
In the morning
we continue our stroll
Along the shore
Looking for fish
To cook for our evening meal.
We watch the Fishermen dock their canoes
After a hard days work at sea
Fishermen divide the catch
To sell in bright coloured bowls.
The aroma of baked fish
Filters through my nose
As I prepare a good snapshot
To place in my family Album.
For the Fishermen's catch is getting smaller
Foreign vessels are taking over the fish harvest
With their drag nets
Taking the best fish from out of
The West African Atlantic Ocean
Yet another blow in poor countries economies
But who really cares about poor peoples suffering?
For the poor are suffering increasingly
Whilst Supermarkets are offering
Wider varieties of commodities
For Western Consumers to prepare their dinners
Poor Countries are victims of the Supermarket Sweep.
What other secrets do they keep?
by
Sophia Sewell-Njie (c) Copyright 1997-2009 All rights reserved
www.sophiasewell-njie.blogspot.com
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Peace
Sister Omega |
Edited by - Sister Omega on 11 Dec 2009 20:36:30 |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 26 Oct 2006 : 14:27:06
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Sophia Ba,
are you leaving for Africa for good ? Which bondage is no more ? -free like the moving air/
The poem is suplendid. It is good that we start summarizing poems in few lines, to enable others to get the meaning.. |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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Sister Omega
United Kingdom
2085 Posts |
Posted - 26 Oct 2006 : 14:39:32
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Thanx Dalton, this is a poem taken from my book Spirit Walk. This poem was inspired by my first journey to Gambia in 1992. I was staying with a family at Westfield junction and was taken to Tanji to buy some fish. "No longer in bondage..." refers to my ancestors who were taken away from Africa. After returning from Gambia I was returned to Gambia and Senegal to conduct some research for a commodity broker, and one of the areas was fisheries.
Peace
Sister Omega |
Peace
Sister Omega |
Edited by - Sister Omega on 26 Oct 2006 15:00:41 |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 26 Oct 2006 : 23:41:57
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| Great poem . A concoction of environmental activism , economic concern for the poor and romanticism. |
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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
Posted - 26 Oct 2006 : 23:48:22
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Sister Omega, thanks for sharing another of your poems with us. Where can one purchase your book?
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 00:27:45
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Who published the book?
No offense, but it is not my idea of poetry.
Poems are more than a list of words. The words need to be very carefully chosen and the rhythm needs to fit.
Because something is worthy doesnt necessarily make it a good poem. |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 00:35:57
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
Who published the book?
No offense, but it is not my idea of poetry.
Poems are more than a list of words. The words need to be very carefully chosen and the rhythm needs to fit.
Because something is worthy doesnt necessarily make it a good poem.
sai tait tait !!! . well, atleast you know whats coming next............... |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 01:04:57
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
Who published the book?
No offense, but it is not my idea of poetry.
Poems are more than a list of words. The words need to be very carefully chosen and the rhythm needs to fit.
Because something is worthy doesnt necessarily make it a good poem.
Maybe you know poetic licence? If yes then you have no-case |
madiss |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 01:14:03
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Omega,
I see. The poem is so fresh, and i won't have guessed that this poem is that old. But yes it is a trailblazer. I thought you were leaving for Africa for good.
Keep it up! I am so impressed with this poem, together with many of the others who authored in the past. They definately have a true meaning.
Dalton |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 13:18:58
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poetry is in the eye of the beholder, it is a creativity instrument like art it is what you want it to be, you don't have to like, but respect is due.
Well done sis, carry on sharing |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 13:43:56
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I agree with Jambo. Poetry and art is in the eye of the beholder. Some people love it and some dont. It does not mean it is good art or bad art, we all have our own taste.
I really enjoy Sister Omegas poems and I think she is an excellent writer.
I also think Cornelius is a great writer, although I mostly dont agree with his opinions but he clearly has a talent for writing. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 15:35:57
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I love POETRY too!   |
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LEMON TIME
Afghanistan
1295 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 16:13:55
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| Bravo Sister Omega,love your poem and dont let others like Bev to put you down. |
There is no god but Allah |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2006 : 19:46:40
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| I am not putting Sister Omega down, I am just saying I dont like that style of poem. My favourite poems are the war poems of Wilfred Owen. I like depressing poetry to wallow in!! |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 28 Oct 2006 : 04:02:20
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
Who published the book?
No offense, but it is not my idea of poetry.
Poems are more than a list of words. The words need to be very carefully chosen and the rhythm needs to fit.
Because something is worthy doesnt necessarily make it a good poem.
After i examined Gambiabev's rejoinder, i am forced to belief that s/he got some points to argue. But that Omega, though in the past supported Africa, and the Black pride, but doesn't appear to be a racist or hater to people of other colors. Something that she didn't compromise in this forum, and other places though: Pride of being African, and openly featured her hatred against slavely.
And i commented to her once in this forum: that the wrongs of slave masters (maser) is not bloodly inherited, and as a result, the wrongs done to blacks during slavely can be blamed on the "whiteman", but not necessarily to say or blame all of them.
While most of us were not seeing Bev's point, but it is my honest believe that both Omega and Bev know the bone of contention between them. Bev is thinking these are racial or hate terms-simple.
In my honest judgement, the poem is not racial, rather factual and straight without bends.
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"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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Sister Omega
United Kingdom
2085 Posts |
Posted - 28 Oct 2006 : 13:34:09
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Poetry and storytelling are fascinating mediums. It ceases to amaze me how many views can come from on piece of writing. I agree with Babylon and Jambo that poetry belongs to the eys of the beholder, and I obviously don't subscribe to gambiabev's prescription of poetry. gambiabev as I stated earlier I wrote this poem 9 years ago since then I've written over 150 poems. As you are probably aware poetry is one of the hardest genres to get published so i took the self-publishing route and got 500 copies print which i sold and distributed at a time when i was awaiting and undergoing three major life saving operations. My books have been sold in Uk, US, South Africa, Gambia and france. I have had two of poems published in US and Canada through timbooku.com and Poetry.com anthrologies; I've performed at poetry and spoken slams in London. I enjoy uplighting and inspiring poetry even if the subject matter is depressing I prefer to put a positive slant on things. Mommodou my books "Spirit Walk" and "An Ancestral Spirit Speak" is currently out of print which I hope to remedy next year and I have two more in the pipeline.
Dalton you are right I don't hate anyone because hate takes up too much energy. Yes I am passionate about African History and obviously slavery comes into I want to break the taboo surrounding that period which will help us all to understand world pre slavery during and afterwards and Africa's significance globally. My interest of African Global presence is shared by many people of different cultures. Kayjatta you are correct in saying West African Ocean encompasses romanticism, environmentalism and economic concern for the poor. I wrote this just after completing my Geography BSc Hons Degree to convey some of my concerns about Sustainable Development. I'd met a journalist on my first journey back from Gambia in 1992 who was covering a story about the threats by over fishing in Senegambian waters and the impacts of this on the fisheries in the region, It was kind of ironic that two weeks later I'd be returning to follow the fishing trail to conduct research into fisheries. Thanx Madiba, Njucks and Lemon time for your words of encouragement.
Peace
Sister Omega
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Peace
Sister Omega |
Edited by - Sister Omega on 28 Oct 2006 15:00:18 |
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