"You Saw the Ocean (Dedicated to Derek Walcott)" by John Kaniecki

I remember exploring Grenada with my wife Sylvia. We came upon a book store. There I found a book by Derek Walcott. I was unfamiliar with him as an author but I associated him with the Caribbean. After reading his work I was greatly disappointed.

I am not saying Derek Walcott is not talented; he is to a certain measure. In Mathew 25, there is the parable of the talents. To every man talents are given. The reality is not in how much talent one receives but in what one does with their talents. Here are my poetic words for Mr. Walcott, a man whose absence of words speak louder than what he wrote.

You Saw the Ocean (Dedicated to Derek Walcott)

By John Kaniecki

You saw the ocean

Blue, green, white capped waves in motion

You learned stories of the educated

Sons of the slave masters you hated

I have walked barefoot upon Caribbean hot white sands

I have talked to the people of your islands

I know their names and have heard their story

We shared our Love with all our glory

Also I am intimate with your time

Where you choose free verse over rhyme

An endless war raged in futility

Your own kinsmen struggled to rise from humility

Crucifying every human emotion

You saw the ocean

Where was your cry for justice?

Passionate pleas persuading righteousness

Instead in an alabaster tower

You gazed out the window hour after hour

Life roared crashing on the beach loud as thunder

For you not to hear the oppressed, how I wonder?

A pretty, nice, sentimental notion

You saw the ocean

Poems like this can be found in my book “Poet To The Poor, Poems Of Hope For The Bottom One Percent”