Merle Collins, a poet and novelist from the Caribbean island of Grenada, seduced an audience of about 40 students, professors and administrators yesterday afternoon while reading from her works in the Wren room of Sanborn House.
Starting off with a poem called "Seduction," Collins wove a web of awe around her listeners.
"Seduction is actually a poem about migration. It's also a poem about home," she said. "Home becomes that much more beautiful when you're far away ... because you tend to remember selectively, and the memories tend to be good ones."
Collins claims her writing is based on conversations with friends and observations of life. One of her poems, "She was quiet," was written after hearing about a woman who had died at one of her friend's offices.
"We were talking about how you never really get to know somebody, even after you go through the routine 'how are you' everyday for years," Collins said.
Using a traditional West Indian storyteller's technique, Collins invited the audience to participate in her poem "Crick Crack." Every time she said the word "crick," the audience answered with "crack." Following the audience's response, Collins then said, "Monkey break he back on a rotten pomerack."
"Rotton Pomerack" is the name of Collins' latest collection of poetry. "A pomerack is fruit. When you step on a rotten pomerack, anything could happen," she said. Collins' rhythmical words, which were filled with wisdom and wit, touched the souls of her listeners.
"She reminds me of someone from home," said Isha Archer '97. Suzanne Lambert '97 agreed. "She reminds me of home period," she said. Both students are from the Caribbean. Collins also spoke to about a dozen people from the Africaso Association later that evening at the International Students House.
Poet still grapples with past
Collins left Grenada 10 years ago, when the 1983 U.S. invasion was still fresh in minds of Grenadians. She is still grappling with her memories of the invasion and the political experience leading up to it.
"Many people couldn't believe that 10 years had gone by," Collins said, describing her feelings about the invasion in her poem titled "Nearly Ten Years Later." She recited, "Nearly 10 years later, look me here analyzing, still distraught and debating, sympathizing, synthesizing - and time just passing."
Collins received her education from the University of the West Indies, Georgetown University and the London School of Economics. She currently lectures in Caribbean Studies at the Polytechnic of North London.
She has written two collections of poetry, a novel and a book of short stories and is currently on a 10-day visit to the U.S.
