Afrobeat Journal Issue 2 : Spring 2011
by Opal Palmer Adisa
Alive
when the earth shook like big
waves breaking against rocks
then cracked open like a precious
egg we can only afford on special
occasions mama papa little brother
baby and me fell over and rolled like
balls no one wanted then papa grabbed
hold and clutched me as tightly as the scraps
doll mama had sewed for me that i used to clutch
in sleep but that is long lost now papa eyes were
like hurricane rain wild and blinding forcing you to
huddle then the ground was the ground once
more and papa reached out and we all hugged
in a tight circle laughing and crying and
crying and laughing until we looked around
and heard the wails and cry for help
papa ran here and there helping all he
could a whole year we making do then
papa can’t eat anything his arms weak
mama spooning him water little brother
and me helping mama hair uncombed
no money for doctor papa body cold
cholera they say cholera and i don’t mind
that papa grabbed me so tightly
so tightly i couldn’t breathe like i’m breathing
now
The Renderings:
The Voices of Haiti: A Photo-Poetic Rendering
Who is Opal Palmer Adisa?
Opal Palmer Adisa, Ph. D, diverse and multi-genre, is an exceptional talent, nurtured on cane-sap and the oceanic breeze of the Caribbean. Writer of both poetry and prose, playwright/director, professor, gender specialist and cultural activist, Adisa has lectured and read her work throughout the United States, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, Spain, France, England and Prague, and has performed in Italy and Bosnia. An award-winning poet and prose writer, Adisa has twenty-two titles to her credit, including the novel, It Begins With Tears (1997), that Rick Ayers proclaimed as one of the most motivational works for young adults.
