Discovering St Kitts & Nevis with ‘the snapshot’ poet H.E. Dr Kevin Isaac

Do you have any comments you would like to share on this episode? 

Do you have any thoughts on the featured poems which include ‘And I Missed the Laughter’ and ‘The Vessel’ by Kevin M Isaac from his compilation of poems ‘Breakfast With My Fathers’.

Is there a St Kitts and Nevis poet or poem that you love?

We look forward to reading your thoughts and feelings!

“Verbal photography”, what a word! I felt the same way every time I wrote a poem that contradicted my beliefs or personality. Some people probably felt weirded. It is like Dr Kevin said, sometimes you act like a “voyeur” of other’s experiences, rather than just expressing your inner self.

Contrary to Dr. Kevin, I don’t mind having my “voice” masked with other people’s poems. I believe developing oneself is a circulatory process with surroundings. You give your attention to other’s voices, which influences your own. Rather than a one-way street, it would develop your voice to become those who influenced others. It’s an amalgamation of experiences, in my opinion.

I don’t know why, but Dr. Kevin’s “And I miss their laughter” reminds me of Tuesday With Morrie by Mitch Albom, haha.

Hello Alzat,

Thank you for your thoughtful response to the episode!

It is wonderful that you can relate to Dr. Kevin’s experience in terms of writing, and taking on the role of the ‘voyeur’. The way you describe your own writing process is fascinating – the influence of experience and paying attention to the voice of others sounds like a holistic approach to poetry! If you feel comfortable, it would be wonderful if you could share some of your own poems with the podcast via the discussion forum!

I found the comparison to Tuesdays With Morrie interesting – I would love to know more about what inspired this connection?

Thanks for your reply, Hollie.

|| If you feel comfortable, it would be wonderful if you could share some of your own poems with the podcast via the discussion forum! ||

I would love to. Here is something that I came up with after hearing Dr. Kevin recite some poems.

**What colour is your voice?**
by Alzat Abkar

What colour is your voice?
Some just a tone,
Understated pastels,
But the wave touches the world.

What colour is your voice?
Some have a contrasting hues,
Shine always,
But the vocalness humbles the soul.

I enjoy colouring the voice,
Mixed with feelings,
Stirred with experience,
Forming a rainbow of writing.

Punctuating a song without sound,
In a canvas with personalities,
Then ask the heart again,
What colour is your voice?

**-**

As for connection with Tuesday with Morrie; it may be due to the way Dr. Kevin describes eating breakfast with a respected figure (his father) in a melancholy way, just like Mitch, a sports journalist who brings food to his old professor, Morrie, whenever they meet. I recalled Morrie describing his perfect day as “a nice breakfast”. There are some conceptual parallels between the two. My two cents.

Hello Alzat,

Thank you very much for sharing your poem with the podcast forum! I was particularly struck by the lines ‘Some just a tone, Understated pastels’ – the way you examine the fashioning of the voice is striking! It is wonderful that Dr. Kevin’s poetry inspired such a brilliant piece!

The connection to Tuesday with Morrie is interesting – the idea that rituals surrounding breakfast can impact the individual’s emotions for the rest of the day is often overlooked, but here we find two thought-provoking pieces commenting on just that!

Thank you very much for sharing your poetry with the forum – we look forward to hearing from you in the future!