Poet, Lawyer, Political Scientist and Educator
My Poetic Journey
My love for literature equals my love for law and politics, the two academic disciplines in which I have received formal training. I am a practising attorney-at-law but have nevertheless spent as much time writing poems as I have spent reading legal precedents and principles. My musings in my poetic chamber is as much a staple as the time I spend in perusal, contemplation and consideration of law and legalities.
At this point of my journey, there is a burning inspiration to connect with the world to share my writings not just with poets across the world but indeed with the entire reading public. I now commence that journey to connect and engage the world in a poetic discourse.
My epic journey into the world of poetry commenced in my final year in elementary school. In that year I wrote a poem of a couple of verses entitled, “Clifford draw bad gear.” “Clifford draw bad gear” is the first poem that I wrote. It was a provocative jest which was used to playfully tease a peer regarding his grandfather’s misdrive of an old market truck which he acquired in his senior years. So zealous was Clifford in protecting the longevity of his piece of depreciated machinery that when he thought his hired driver was driving it too fast on the decline of a steep country road, he grabbed on to the gear lever and rammed it forward with the hope of slowing down the truck. The engine was badly damaged and his grandchildren suffered at school for this manifest act of idiocy. I have no recollection of the content of this piece as at that time of childhood, I was devoid of a sense of history and unenlightened to the need for inspirational preservation.
In my penultimate year in high school, I penned two poems for my school magazine which were actually incorporated. As to why I am excluding them from my anthology befuddles even me. Is it because I cannot immediately lay hands on them? I don’t know.
Despite the previous poems mentioned, for some inexplicable reason, I have regarded “Lamentations Part I” (not included in this publication) as my first poem. This was written in 1988. I was still 21 years old at the time and had to confront and grapple with the difficulties that came with the journey from adolescence into adult life. Lamentations Part I is the voice of discouragement and confusion, the travail of the soul and involuntary sad outburst of the human spirit, the aching of the heart, a conversation with the Divine or simply put, a prayer.
Since 1988 I have written approximately 500 poems. My first book, “I Love You,” an anthology of 149 poems written to my wife, Michelle Brown was published in December 2006 on our tenth wedding anniversary.
“I Love You,” is simply a story of love – true, unadulterated and extraordinary love. The poems depict an inspiring, enthralling, captivating, riveting, intriguing, compelling, awesome, mind-clenching, heartwarming and soul-searching experience.
The poems lay bare the bliss of our love, the intensity of our passion, the soundness of our marriage, the strength of our union, the closeness of our bond and the cohesiveness of our relationship.
At the time Michelle and I met I was attending the University of Miami and she was attending Florida International University. I was at a sad point in life at that time and Michelle’s presence in my life created great happiness. My heart broke out into singing. The poems that comprise, “I Love You,” describes my personal renaissance and spiritual revolution. I was led far and wide into the world of literary abstraction by the love and care showered on me by Michelle. Fifteen months after our first date we got married on the beautiful lawns of Calusa Country Club in South Florida.
Protests, Prospects and Perspectives, my most recently published work represents yet another milestone on my poetic journey. My epic journey into the world of poetry has taken me into many different directions as is reflected in the diverse nature of the poems included in my anthology.
From a point of view of reflective analysis Protests, Prospects and Perspectives captures the various phenomena encountered during my social and intellectual journey. My first degree is in Political Science; hence it can be understood why my poetic interests would be aroused by international developments such as the Syrian refugee crisis, the Arab spring, activities in the South China Sea, the overture of war between the United States of America and North Korea, the colossus Nelson Mandela and apartheid in South Africa, the United States of America immigration ban, the implications of wars in general, the need for a new world view, the political doctrine of realpolitik, the cold war phenomenon and Usain Bolt’s impact on Jamaica’s international image and political prestige.
In the same breadth of intellectual exposure, being a student of law, it seems clear to me why certain subjects relevant to deviance on the one hand and conformity on the other, consciously or unconsciously become points of poetic motivations and inspirations. Poems such as Addiction, Deviance, Misdirected, Convicted, Banishment and Activism all fall within this mold.
Furthermore, a significant portion of inspiration came from my foray into the field of education as a student and teacher which brought me close to youths. Such interactions exposed me to some of their most glaring challenges and as I searched for ways of motivating them to overcome these challenges. No doubt, the soul found its expression in poetry. Hence, poems such as Youth Arise, Abuse, Hygiene, Interpersonal Skills, Nutrition, Puberty and Adolescence, Libido, Stress Management, Time Management and Career Choice were born from this experience.
Poems such as They Too were Young, Death, Examples, Life’s Circle, Journey, Presence, Challenges, The Crossroads, Vacate the Nest, In Pursuit of Truth, Lamentation Part II and Lamentation in Reverse arose from my own spiritual, social and psychological appreciation of man’s place, mission and sojourn through life.
And yet this explanation of the sources of my inspiration represents at best a simple and perhaps simplistic explanation behind some of the poems as it is difficult to place any of them in a single category. In fact, each reflects the totality of my experience across the borders and boundaries of intellectual and non-intellectual persuasions and passions. Inspiration at its truest depth is unfathomable and inexplicable. The poet is merely the messenger and not so much the author of the message.
Whether or not it is about a sprinting sensation from the parish of Trelawny in Jamaica, a political icon in South Africa, a quarrel among nations in the Korean Peninsula and Asia’s Pacific, a youth battling the impact of hormonal changes, struggling to balance his or her time, being caught up in the topsy-turvy of career choice or whatever the subject might be, as a poet we cannot stop to rationalize or quantify the significance of the subject. We are inspired to write and write we must. In this context, it is my hope that my obedience to the voice of inspiration will somehow meaningfully add to the international discourse and discussion on the inherent subjects. In many cases the poetic expression is used as a major tool of motivation and persuasion in man’s attempt to communicate with his fellow men. I hope that this book with time will play a useful role in the communication of man, globally.
The Publications of “I Love You” and “Protests, Prospects and Perspectives” represent two important milestones reached. The destination is still ahead, hence there are many more miles on the journey to be covered. I must therefore travel on. If my life is spared there are likely to be other publications in the near future. Others of my poems are already in book format and titles have been decided. As I press ahead, inspiration continues to direct the path and so I continue to write. I invite you to walk with me as I continue on this epic journey.
Enjoy the bonus of the non-poetic literary essay of the Fourth Century Papyrus.
Poetically and Inspirationally Yours ,
Cedric Brown