Guyana Poems

[Zoley!]

Sugarcake Bubble
Sugarcake, sugarcake
Bubbling in a pot,
Bubble, bubble sugarcake
Bubble thick and hot.

Sugarcake, sugarcake
Spice and coconut,
Sweet and sticky
Brown and gooey,

I could eat the lot.

- Grace Nichols, Guyana

[Zoley!]

I Love the

friday night
smell of
mammie baking
bread -- creeping
up to me in
bed, and tho
zzz I'll fall
asleep, before i
even get a bite -- when
morning come,
you can bet
I'll meet a
kitchen table
laden with
bread, still
warm and fresh
salt bread
sweet bread
crisp and brown
& best of all
coconut buns
THAT'S why
I love the
friday night
smell of mammie

baking bread
putting me to
sleep, dreaming
of jumping from
the highest branch
of the jamoon tree
into the red water
creek
beating calton
run & catching
the biggest fish
in the world
plus, getting
the answers right
to every single
sum
that every day
in my dream
begins and ends
with the friday
night smell of
mammie baking
bread, and
coconut buns
of course.


- Marc Matthews, Guyana