Hold nothing against the daffodil,
potent against the cancer of self-love and aged forgetfulness;
but beware the bulb; mistake it not for the onion;
it can kill; it’s subtext for the Ides of March, but also
‘comes before the swallow dares’ in The Winter’s Tale;
grind and smear it on topical wounds only;
for it’s death and spring, bad luck and morning glory;
it flowered in the Garden of Gethsemane and at Stonehenge;
meanwhile turn the page; it’s the only way to complete
your chapter of the story, you Mau-Mau-ed, castrated,
you waiting for the return of the Balangiga and the Kohinoor;
the eye of history is longer than you can imagine;
learn the lore of all bush medicine with thanksgiving;
go where you will, love where you will, live where you will
© Cynthia James October 2012
About Cynthia James
Cynthia James is a Trinidadian, living for the past 3 years in Toronto. She writes poetry and fiction and her work can be found in publications such as Callaloo,Caribbean Writer and The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse.
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