WORKER CHANT

Kendel Hippolyte


tell dem
tell dem
that dem cars
with my blood in dem gas tanks
soon run dry
soon stop run

tell dem
tell dem
that my nerves
stretched bursting tight
on dem electric poles
soon break, soon
spark, soon
catch-a-fire

listen
to the sound of the hammer
we are building something

watch
the spade in the dirt ground
we are digging something

somebody
will be buried soon

tell dem
tell dem

is not I

 

• Kendel Hippolyte is a Saint Lucian poet and dramatist (and occasional researcher), involved for decades in cultural activism and passionate about the building of Caribbean civilization.  His collections include the award-winning Fault Lines (2012) and Night Vision (2005).