About St Kitts and Nevis
St Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Both islands were formed by volcanic activity and are mountainous. St Kitts is a fertile island with mainly black sandy beaches. Nevis is surrounded by coral reefs and has silver beaches.
Find out more about St Kitts and Nevis.
Region
Language
Population
53,000 (2022)
Area
St Kitts: 176km², Nevis: 93km²
High Commissioner
H.E. Dr Kevin Isaac
Capital
Basseterre
Joined Commonwealth
1983, following independence from Britain.
Episode guests
H.E. Dr Kevin Isaac
High Commissioner
Has been the High Commissioner for St. Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner since 2011.
He is also St. Kitts and Nevis Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO); its non-resident Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Governor to the Board of the Commonwealth Secretariat. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board Governors of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
He has been writing poems and short stories since his teenage years, and is a published poet including: Whispers of Silence (1998); Memories in Serenade (2010) and Breakfast with my Fathers (2014).
And I miss their laughter
I lie awake listening to them sleep
And I miss their laughter
I recalled their tantrum-ignited feet
Infectious demand for attention
And viral chants to get what they want
Extinguished only by this slumber
And I miss their laughter.
In the still restful darkness
I reminisce on the daytime
When they raced to the kitchen
Dragging me behind them
Shouting the brand new moniker “daddy”
As though they invented it
And owned the copyrights
And I missed their laughter.
I think of them scratching the furniture
Inscribing their manifestations on the white walls
Proclaiming rights to everything in sight
Making nerves fray and patience thin
And I miss their laughter.
I peeked attentively into the aging darkness
And felt their love
I thought their gentle breath to keep them close
And prayed for morning to come sooner
That they woke
And remind me again
Why each night
I miss their laughter.
A Vessel
Lord, please make me
A vessel for the world…
Lift me up in moments darkened by despair
When galloping anxieties plough
The unsettled oceans of my mind like reckless warrirors
Transform me into a compass
And point me to dry lands
Dear Lord, steady my vessel with courage
To endure torrential waves of doubt
Keep me resolute in days greyed with pain
And on course like a beacon shining warmth
For the world
Lord, please steel me
Make me into that unflinching shoulder
Of support and comfort for those in need
Blind my mind, dear Lord, to bitterness
But open to the magnificence of the heart
Help me
Amidst the frailties and imperfections of this life
To love permanently without judgement
With compassion to all
Strengthen me
To resist my common vanity
To walk in my brothers shoes
And understand my sisters’ voice
Let me always see them in me as me
And never abandon them
For their failures and successes are my own
I am thier keeper
Dear Lord, I ask you
To make me a vessel
Build me from the metal of my children’s hearts
And the innocence of their eyes
Teach me to forgive
To embrace kindness and truth
Fortify my heart, dear Lord
To be that vessel in your image
And your message
To be a candle for the world
