she carved
the divining chair
from mahogany wood
with strong hands
and a good knife
then took her seat
in the midnight heat
of the island moon
she crossed over
into the other world
upon the duho
winged thing
and back again,
when her trip was done
she raised her voice,
having stories to tell.
in my dream
she stepped through
a green curtain
into the living room,
remember me,
she said, and
remember yourself,
so much depends on this.
•••
Lynn Sweeting’s poems have been published in The Caribbean Writer, Sisters of Caliban, Yinna, tongues of the ocean and the WomanSpeak Journal, which she co-created with Helen Klonaris, and whose fifth issue was launched in December 2010. She writes the truth about life as an act of womanish resistance and sisterhood among women in a patriarchal Caribbean culture.
tongues of the ocean 