Modern Odyssey Poem by ENOCH JOHN

All the effectual words I care to remember swirling
Like dolorous notes from a New Orleans jazz festival,
Among rapt listeners, in transfixed silence sitting,
The rows of noiseless chairs, as steely witnesses,
Among islands which dot a seascape like a Grecian frame,
Mythical Helen's primeval beauty, in the minds of many,
Rivaling heroics of Olympian gods and Ilium's mighty men.

But beneath a sky-lit hallowed dome of our Caribbean tropical haven,
Who seeks an odyssey these days.For in this age
There are hardly seafarers and not many mimics,
In an archipelago populated by timorous men.And pretenders
With copious skill, depict the tinsel of Grecian beauty.

Yet I will voyage beyond the blue stain of sky-veil,
Straddling the stage of my own theatre, in the streets or esplanade,
To be dragon or dove or even silent spectre,
For I seek to be director of my own destiny,
Among these sparkling islands which dot our silver seascape,
And where hardly sits any sapient throng.