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Introduction

In this book of poems, I continue to engage in the search for the place called home on my journey to full Canadian citizenship. Although Guyana, “ole” country of my birth, has become violent and full of terror, pleasant memories of my birthplace continue to linger in my mind. Canada is my present home, but I have been returning to teach in Guyana since 1987. Like many new Canadians, I feel safe and somewhat settled in this landscape where I can go to sleep with an open door. But post September 11th, none of us can return to feelings of absolute security—suddenly we are all living under open, dangerous skies. These poems illustrate my journey to become both a Canadian and a global citizen with many identities, while celebrating the beauty of the natural environment in both of my homelands. I can’t return to the Guyana of my childhood, but through my poems I’m able to explore the cultural and political tensions between past and present, East and West, and how these changes manifest in myself and my search for identity. In the same sense, I hope to challenge my readers, generally, and especially those in positions of authority, to look for change within and work for peace and justice in our world.