Written piece
Connecting our Bloodline to this Shoreline, Saint Lucia
Mandy Preville-Findlay
St Lucia
About this piece
This poem is a celebration of the things that tie us together not only as island people but also in recognition of us rising steadily, above the things that would keep us bent and broken. From food to music and natural beauty, we embrace all that makes us who we are, Saint Lucian
Thank you for this invitation,
I weave threads of Participation
that give strength to community collaboration
That connects our Bloodline to this Shoreline
Saint Lucia
From our mothers who helped feed a nation, with mangoes, cassava and carnation
whilst our Fathers kept watch to reduce the pain of inflation
To the neighbours who toiled the land, together in cooperation,
producing bananas, plantains and yams
Nourishing minds and hearts
Wrapped in the colourful fabric of madras,
They connect our Bloodline to this Shoreline
Saint Lucia
From the drums of Africa played up on Mount Gimie's height,
where frigates and orioles take flight,
To the sun rising above the Pitons,
adorned with the red and blue hues of La Rose and Marguerite, that shimmers at dawn
Sipping on some steaming cocoa tea,
greenery as far as the eyes can see
As revellers parade
the masquerade
It connects our Bloodline to this
Shoreline
Saint Lucia
We weave the food, the people and light,
with songs of hope and power and might
The stuff that knits Saint Lucia into an awe-inspiring place,
filled with citizens of beauty and grace,
We are simple yet complex, with the ability
to flow and flex, with taste and tenacity,
perfect fibres for a tapestry of mixed identity
We connect our Bloodline to this
Shoreline
Saint Lucia