A Portable Paradise
Roger-robinson
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A Portable Paradise by Roger Robinson
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Roger-robinsonAbout
This short but intense and beautiful poem presents a positive image of life and of the power of the imagination to cope with its vicissitudes. The depiction of the poet’s grandmother typifies a matriarchal society in which older women are regarded as wise and powerful; forces for good within the fam...
A Portable Paradise Annotated
And if I speak of Paradise,
then I’m speaking of my grandmother
who told me to carry it always
on my person, concealed, so
no one else would know but me.
That way they can’t steal it, she’d say.
And if life puts you under pressure,
trace its ridges in your pocket,
smell its piney scent on your handkerchief,
hum its anthem under your breath.
And if your stresses are sustained and daily,
get yourself to an empty room – be it hotel,
hostel or hovel – find a lamp
and empty your paradise onto a desk:
your white sands, green hills and fresh fish.
Shine the lamp on it like the fresh hope
of morning, and keep staring at it till you sleep.