When the rain wakes then comforts you
0
When the morning is cool, and the low sun shows a sheen of moisture over the floorboards
0
When the church in the valley below sends their hymns upwards in coo-ing dove tones
0
When the curtains waft against the wrought iron window while the kiskadees shout outside
0
When cobwebs flicker and the big chairs lie empty
0
When cars rush down the street and make sea sounds
0
When the dog refuses to bark, and follows you
0
When the roots of next-door’s big mango tree crack the path, yet again
0
When the paint on the ceiling peels and the rooms stay dark, even at midday
0
When you find your small white dress your mother made and kept all those years
0
When the vines threaten to swallow the house
0
When the pet chicken goes missing, never to return
0
When the garden is tidied and looks too welcoming
0
When you have to leave
0
When you have to leave
∞
∞
Fawzia Muradali Kane is an architect and poet who was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, but is now based in London. Their debut poetry collection Tantie Diablesse (Waterloo Press 2011) was longlisted for the OCM Bocas Poetry Prize in 2012. In 2014, Thamesis Publications produced their long sequence Houses of the Dead as an illustrated pamphlet. They are working on a 2nd poetry collection, Guaracara.
Nostalgia evokes such vivid memories in this poem.