We began our journey on Dundonald Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad. We lived in the house of MacDonald Thomas, Alex’s grandfather. We had our first child there and washed his diapers on a juking board at the back sink, until we were seduced by disposable nappies. On a sleek, black record player we listened to reggae and jazz, accompanied by rain on the galvanized roof. The wooden floorboards creaked reassuringly. The paved yard was painted dark red. The front room was the old abandoned grocery shop. But the living room was cosy and small, with two old wooden chairs and yellow wooden walls.
Echoes in a Room
Dark wooden chair and wooden table,
An empty bottle and empty glass,
Incense, books and broken phone
Twilight sneaking,
Peeking through open window
To see yellow walls
wooden and warm, wrapped in dying sunlight.
To see dancing smoke
curling on the air,
folding on itself,
twirling on and on
to nought, to nil, to
night striding in.
Drawling music,
Striding with the night,
Arm in arm with the air
– grey and blue and white –
Gliding over wooden chair and wooden table.
Settling in the empty room, heavy, almost silent.
Two steps to step to black table,
through faded light,
To step to wooden chair,
To sit with a heavy sigh.
Cold crystals ride the wind;
defeated daylight.
Plop
Plop
Rain again.
Again Rain.
Still night,
Still wind,
Still rain on shaking roof.
Dim glow, yellow and blue,
Candle standing in ceramic shoe.
Ceramic shoe that she make.
Silence breathing,
Breathing.
Room gently spinning,
Remembering dancing,
dancing with the buzzing in his head.
___________
They dance until the music stop
– sca dap dap –
Stop.
They laugh until the taxi drop
them off at the house.
They love until the mid-day come
And rain clouds shower them
with thunder drums
And soak they skin with sorrow
___________
Drip
Drip
Rain slowing
Slowing rain
Sunrise spreading
Strolling in
Stepping past dark, wooden chair
And wooden table
Stepping over
Empty bottle and broken glass
Casually lifting blanket night,
Parting curtain with yellow and blue and white.
Shifting gloom, graceful sway
Pulsing hearts of one vein
Meet in love again
Dark wooden chair and wooden table,
An empty bottle and empty glass,
Incense, books and broken phone
Twilight sneaking,
Peeking through open window
To see yellow walls
wooden and warm, wrapped in dying sunlight.
To see dancing smoke
curling on the air,
folding on itself,
twirling on and on
to nought, to nil, to
night striding in.
Drawling music,
Striding with the night,
Arm in arm with the air
– grey and blue and white –
Gliding over wooden chair and wooden table.
Settling in the empty room, heavy, almost silent.
Two steps to step to black table,
through faded light,
To step to wooden chair,
To sit with a heavy sigh.
Cold crystals ride the wind;
defeated daylight.
Plop
Plop
Rain again.
Again Rain.
Still night,
Still wind,
Still rain on shaking roof.
Dim glow, yellow and blue,
Candle standing in ceramic shoe.
Ceramic shoe that she make.
Silence breathing,
Breathing.
Room gently spinning,
Remembering dancing,
dancing with the buzzing in his head.
___________
They dance until the music stop
– sca dap dap –
Stop.
They laugh until the taxi drop
them off at the house.
They love until the mid-day come
And rain clouds shower them
with thunder drums
And soak they skin with sorrow
___________
Drip
Drip
Rain slowing
Slowing rain
Sunrise spreading
Strolling in
Stepping past dark, wooden chair
And wooden table
Stepping over
Empty bottle and broken glass
Casually lifting blanket night,
Parting curtain with yellow and blue and white.
Shifting gloom, graceful sway
Pulsing hearts of one vein
Meet in love again