Thanks, and I did like the poem very much, it embraces place so very well. Below, one I wrote on the invasion...'Fish' liked it some years back, albeit only as far as 'longlist'..
all best wishes,
Alan
Postcard from Grand Anse
Concerning the US invasion of Grenada, 25 October 1983
Big Beach sounds better in French, describing
the two-mile strand of fine white coral sand.
It gives a graceful arc to the lagoon.
The sea is crystal of course. Deep water
deep blue after the shallows of the reef.
The reef did not hinder the troops’ landing.
Nor did the barbed wire stretched across the shore.
It didn’t feel like a restoration of order, as light attack aircraft howled, overflew Grand Anse and the Carenage to bomb strategic sites ,like the hospital, and kill the mental patients therein…they called this invasion of a commonwealth nation an intervention, their mission, “urgent fury”.
That must have been terrifying, Alan. It was not portrayed like that thousands of miles away. But then I suppose it has always been that way in war - reality vs. propaganda.
Thanks, and I did like the poem very much, it embraces place so very well. Below, one I wrote on the invasion...'Fish' liked it some years back, albeit only as far as 'longlist'..
all best wishes,
Alan
Postcard from Grand Anse
Concerning the US invasion of Grenada, 25 October 1983
Big Beach sounds better in French, describing
the two-mile strand of fine white coral sand.
It gives a graceful arc to the lagoon.
The sea is crystal of course. Deep water
deep blue after the shallows of the reef.
The reef did not hinder the troops’ landing.
Nor did the barbed wire stretched across the shore.
They came, they said, with an urgent fury.
It’s easy to park at the beach, picnic
beneath coconut and tall cabbage palms.
Frangipani, bougainvillea, poui
bloom and entwine the beach-bar verandah.
Seaward, frigate birds fight, soar and then dive
to grasp squid. Light-attack aircraft, Corsairs,
howl on their Carrier, and overfly
Grand Anse to bomb the Carenage and town.
I've sat on Grand Anse beach with a pina colada in my hand; hard to imagine it with barbed wire... Thanks for this, Alan.
It didn’t feel like a restoration of order, as light attack aircraft howled, overflew Grand Anse and the Carenage to bomb strategic sites ,like the hospital, and kill the mental patients therein…they called this invasion of a commonwealth nation an intervention, their mission, “urgent fury”.
That must have been terrifying, Alan. It was not portrayed like that thousands of miles away. But then I suppose it has always been that way in war - reality vs. propaganda.