Today doves flew from my head
and my hair grew
the longing is gone from my body
and I’m filled with peace, perfect peace
No longer shall I speak of electrocuted poets
or the ones who inhaled gas until
they danced in the dizziness of death
but of brown women
who turn the soil with their hands
making vegetable gardens and tending fruit trees
Today I went into my storehouse
selected the choicest oil and anointed my body
wrapped myself in the rarest cloth
of a deep wine red
stood at my front gate
and words poured from my mouth in flaming chants
Today the craftsman has come
to make a design for me
of a woman sitting in deep repose
with doves flying from her head
He has made all the pieces, and they fit
well together
I shall hang it at my window for all the world to see
In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom.
- The word “peace” is used twice in the first stanza. What other words or images throughout the poem feel restful to you?
- What does the speaker say the craftsman has come to do? Who do you think the craftsman is – a literal person or something else?
- Dr. Afua Cooper is well known for educating and evaluating the historical context of enslaved Africans in her poems. How does the theme of liberation show up in the poem? Think creatively, socially, financially, emotionally, spiritually, etc.
- What is the overall tone of the poem? Is it hopeful? Excited? Assertive? Are there any shifts in tone within the poem? If so, where are they?
- Dr. Cooper is an internationally celebrated Dub Poet. Dub Poetry is spoken word orature influenced by music, most often reggae rhythms originating in Dr. Cooper’s homeland, Jamaica. Try reciting this poem over a metronome as your guide and choose moments that feel right, melodic or groovy, to echo words or repeat lines of the poem. See if you can catch a flow!
- Peacefulness, like other feelings and emotions, is generally felt for short periods or in brief instances. It can also be attained with effort and intention. Create a list of things you can do in the span of 15 minutes to attain a peaceful, creative and nurturing state of mind for yourself. Choose 3 or 4 items that stand out to you the most and write a poem that uses the first person voice “I” and begins a new stanza for each activity described.
Useful Links
Read more about the dynamics of Dub Poetry: http://thebestofreggae.com/what-is-dub-poetry/
Watch Dr. Afua Cooper perform her dub poem “Africa Wailing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xphrakNyw&t=16s
Dr. Cooper was inspired to write about the real-life experiences of enslaved children from the African Diaspora. Her novel My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom was awarded the Beacon of Freedom Award. Listen to her read from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1WVP1k3QXM&index=21&list=PLc3iBUyifLGyK...
“At the Centre” Copper Woman: And Other Poems. Copyright © 2007 Afua Cooper. Reprinted with permission of Dundurn Press Limited.
Source: Copper Woman: And Other Poems (Natural Heritage Books, 2006).