This Sensitive Woman
09 December 2018
Dedicated to Marlene Dee Gray Potoura
In my quest for literature, her ink dropped on my way,
Like molecules of wisdom, falling as the rain
Each gentle droplet reforming as a ripple
Droplet, ripple, wave, heading to the shore
A creative wave of story, poem, insight
An ocean of narrative, and gentle humour,
In her luminous wake, grace and compassion
Shining through the squall, the storm, the loss
In her words I met them, old and young
The creatures of her creative urge
Each one guiding me along the way
Until, my surprise, I met their owner
A black woman writer in her chair,
The smiling source of all my wonder,
Looked at me and said ‘hello, Mr Polite Fan’
Hit nail on head, alert to Mr Sensitive
As sensitive as the way she writes
She even taught me some of her style
One single drop of ink at a time
As days go by more ink is added
Eventually a beautiful place created
A place on the mountain peak
Or a place dark deep in the sea
Each word a sceptre in a king’s hand
To build a kingdom from imagination
Fresh words and narratives from a drop of ink
Shaped to be inhaled by eager readers
Framed to belong to each one of us
And as I pen this little piece, this note
I remember the wisdom of this writer
This woman of truth and sensibility
This Marlene from Bougainville
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