SESSION 25—Acts of Remembrance
Photo by Marlin Clark on Unsplash
Discussion:
Sometimes memory is salvation—a tether to our sense of self and place, a reminder of who we are and where we came from.
Poems often invoke memory for this reason. And in doing so, they become a totem, a sacred artifact not just for the poet but for the readers who may hear the echoes of their own stories between the lines.
What is Roger Robinson remembering in A Portable Paradise?
How does his memory contrast with his current reality?
How does he translate his memories into something that the reader can see and feel?
Roger Robinson is an acclaimed British-Trinidadian poet, musician and educator. Known for his work focusing on Black British life, racism, and identity, he won the 2019 T.S. Eliot Prize for his collection A Portable Paradise. He is also a prominent educator and co-founder of the writers' collective Malika’s Kitchen.
A Portable Paradise
by Roger Robinson
And if I speak of Paradise,
then I’m speaking of my grandmother
who told me to carry it always
on my person, concealed, so
no one else would know but me.
That way they can’t steal it, she’d say.
And if life puts you under pressure,
trace its ridges in your pocket,
smell its piney scent on your handkerchief,
hum its anthem under your breath.
And if your stresses are sustained and daily,
get yourself to an empty room – be it hotel,
hostel or hovel – find a lamp
and empty your paradise onto a desk:
your white sands, green hills and fresh fish.
Shine the lamp on it like the fresh hope
of morning, and keep staring at it till you sleep.
Writing Prompt:
What memory do you carry that sustains you during difficult times? It can be of a person, a place, an event or interaction.
What are the scents, sights or sounds that allow it to live in your imagination?
How would you craft those sensory images into a poem so that the reader’s own memories are activated?