Lush Anansi Tales

Poui

All now so,
my home valley,
would be in bloom,
pink and yellow blossoms,
nestled in green on green.

Poui is the name of the tree,
the name itself sings of poetry,
and before I knew words,
these trees taught me,
art, beauty, and magic.

They had another power too,
they were a symbol of learning,
at the end of every summer term,
the Trinity greens would transform,
with these blossoms,
a signal to us all of the tests to come,
exploring the learning that took place in its halls.

Their beauty was a comfort 
to my agile mind,
and even today
as I sit fondly lost in remembering, 
remembering my lessons,
and remembering the shades of colour in my past,
Joys, and Sorrows, Victories, and Losses,
flowering in my mind's eye,
reminding me that life is fleeting too quickly,
beautiful like the Poui blossoms.

Ian Michado Royer (c) 2020
Art by James Hackett (c ) 2020