Walls Cannot Speak

Magpie 132

Big room, 1948, Andrew Wyeth

Courtesy Tess Kinkaid, Magpie Teles on Blogger

An empty room

Cold

Devoid of all emotion

The peals of laughter here

With the loud infectious gaity

Long gone

A large room

Icy

Holding a pristine fireplace

Unused sterile and as cold

As its grey marble surround

Once warm

An historical room

Empty

Like lives passed through

Masking superficiality with a pretense

As polish on the table

Covering scratches

Barbara M Lake ©

Trinidad WI

August 2012

City Lust



MAGPIE 131

Under Windsor Bridge, 1912, by Adolphe Valette

Photograph courtesy Tess Kinkaid, Magpie Tales on Blogger

He cuts a lonely figure

This man

Standing on the bank of the

Irwell River

No one will ever know

His thoughts

As he watches the Mersey Barge

Chug past

Maybe his mind thinks of

Gabriela de Bolivar

His beautiful wife murdered

By consumption

Sound of water and taste of fog

Assaulting him

Grimy swirling invading smog

Engulfing him

The dirt and smoke of industry

Does not 

Deter this Frenchman's lust for

Manchester city  

Barbara M Lake

©

Trinidad, WI

August 2012

Buried Feelings

Magpie 130

Photograph Francesca Woodman

Photograph courtesy  Tess Kinkaid, Magpie Tales

Over the years

With each hurt

A wall was built

Invisible

To all but me

A fortress

To protect

The aching soul

No one could

Penetrate the heart

That was so cold

Stonehenge

To many a lover

Icy brick

Freezes over

The yielding body

Now from nowhere

Trust comes softly 

Layer by layer is

Stripped

Caressing hands gently

Peel away 

Shell replaced

By awakening heart

Barbara M Lake  ©

Trinidad WI
August 2012

Disaster Area in Trinidad & Tobago

Whilst my family and I are safe, the area in which I live has been declared a disaster area by the Prime Minister after two hours of heavy rains yesterday, caused untold damage.  Roads have disappeared, homes have been swept away, power lines were and still are down, communications via the main supplier are non existent. Many friends have been affected. Two that I know of to date have lost their homes and several have lost all their belongings.  One saw all her small appliances which she had put onto her mattress, washed away as the swirling waters took the bed and the mattress away.  Another, a very elderly lady whose home was flooded causing her to lose everything was rescued by my daughter-in-law's nephews in their dinghy.

Here are just some photos.

The Diego Martin Highway on the morning of Saturday 11 August 2012 after the Diego Martin River had burst its banks (Photograph:  Triniscene.com)

Photograph:  Triniscene.com

Corner of Gittensdale and La Horquette Valley Road, Glenco - pump house gone, part of main road collapsed (Photograph: Kent Sheppard)

A gated community in the Valley that I can see from my hilltop home
(Photograph: Whiteflag Entertainment)

(Photograph:  Papa Bois Conservation)

The clean up operation started as soon as was possible and will continue.  It is now 2.00pm Sunday here in Trinidad and the highway which I can see from my kitchen windows has just been reopened.  

This disaster was not caused by a hurricane or an earthquake and could well happen again before the end of the rainy season.  In the event of either a hurricane or an earthquake the reality is that we are not prepared.  But this recent disaster could have been prevented.  This will only cease when people stop cutting down the lush rain forests and building their mansions into the sides of the mountains and when local corporations start cleaning up after others have dumped their old  mattresses, fridges, freezers, beds and unwanted garbage into the dry river beds.  Better still, make those who do all those things that go against nature, pay dearly for their misdeeds.

Maraval residents distraught by flood damage | CNC3

www.cnc3.co.tt

Covering your world, Trinidad and Tobago news, sports and entertainment station. Covering Your World.

Lillie and The Prince

Magpie 129

A dinner Table at Night 1884  John Singer Sargent

Phoptgraph courtesy Tess Kinkaid, Mapie Tales on Blogger

Ah my darling Lillie

Do you like our little

Love nest

Here 

By the English sea?

Does looking at the water

Remind you from where

You came

Channel

Island in the sea?

Ah my darling Bertie

I love our not so little

Love nest

Here

Upon the Dorset coast

Ah my darling Lillie

You are to be replaced

Another actress

Sweetheart

Bernhardt is her name

Ah my darling Bertie

Have no fear for me

You're replaced 

Already

By Louis and Shrewsbury!

Barbara M Lake  ©

Trinidad WI

August 2012

Lillie Langtry (The Jersey Lily)

It Rained Again Today!

It rained today in my neck of the woods for about ten minutes.  At the end of it, there were floods.  Real floods!

This was the view from my kitchen windows!  A non existent view actually until it cleared.


The blur is the rain!

It's now 11pm and the windows are open.  The breeze is blowing through the apartment and I think we are in for more rain!

Welcome to the tropics!

Emancipation Day 2012 Trinidad & Tobago

I normally write a blog on Emancipation Day in Trinidad and Tobago.  But this year I am not going to because if anyone wants to read the history of the day which is now a Public holiday, you can refer to Emancipation Day 2011 right here:  


http://expatbeesblog.blogspot.com/2011..../emancipation-day-2011

So as many celebrate this day I wish Trinidad and Tobago a Happy Emancipation Day  and say free your heart, mind and body from any mental chains that bind you.