God in the SonG of BirdS

poetry

1997–2011

Amon SABA SAAkAnA

God in the SonG of BirdS kArnAk Poetry

poetry 1997–2011

Amon SABA SAAkAnA

This is Saakana’s third book of poetry; the first, Sun Song, waspublished in 1973 by the now deceased poetryophile, Paul Bre-man; the second, ToneS & ColourS, by this press in 1985. The

poetry in this book was written in the uK in 1997–1999, andTrinidad & Tobago during the period of 2002–2011. The tone of thepoetry is primarily narrative and impressionistic. Saakana recordshis confrontation with hilltop valleys, impressions of people & land-scape, flora & fauna, truth & lie, all, as he says, “in the making ofman.” Yet the book is as much about the Pan-African world, as it isabout the specifics of a community of spirit in Trinidad:

life has led me to points of crossingin the desert where knowledgegrows like date palms in summer

A large part of the texts is the celebration of woman in all her pri-mordial strength as mother, wife, daughter & seeker of light & equi-librium in a world of unchanged manpower, violence, rape and abuse.Yet as mother, housemaker & lover she plays an epicentral role inSaakana’s poetic world.

Inside: Afterwords by Poet laureate eintou Springer, poet-writer-folklorist-performer Faustin Charles.Amon Saba Saakana is a poet and writer.

Cover painting Seheri Sujai/inside illustrations Charles Sambono/Aniba Saakana

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ISBN 1 872596 -22-3

USA $14.95

UK £7.95

T&T $90.00