Posts

Showing posts from September, 2013

Waving coconut trees, cane juice and sun..

Image
There is something about the trees waving against that kind of warm blue at the end of the day.. something about the coconut tree which dances in the wind at sunset. Wellness is a journey . There is a desperate temptation to succumb to the desire to lie down and try to sleep.. but there is nothing more futile than trying to close your eyes and sleep when you are not sleepy even though you are fatigued. The cane juice man is an excuse to go out in the sun and a cold cane juice from a lotha washed in a bucket of water with other lothas is a kind of reminder of a connection to the Universe which is not often seen. I succumb to the sugar temptation.. the danger of having disposable income is that cane juice is followed by cold dark and dark and crunchy ice cream on the stick. Saying no is not one of the options now for coping. This time around though as the mind whirls with dreams of things to do, and memories of things which have not been done and things which have not worked ou

Possessing the Secret of Joy - Alice Walker

Image
This book is dedicated to the blameless vulva. Alice Walker aint easy. This book is about women, the clitoris, the vulva and about a traditional practice in parts of the world where the clitoris is cut out and the vagina is sown up. Some say female circumcision - others say female genital mutilation. Some say honourable tradition, other say misogyny (often a part of tradition too). We do not hear much about FGM in Guyana.. male circumcision is supposed to be a good thing these days for cleanliness and now to harden the glans so that the HIV virus does not pass through. As Tashi rejects Jesus and Christianity..(taking off her gingham mamma hubbard dress and leaving her breasts bare, she goes to do her operation as a connection to her ancestors and heritage. The operation had killed her sister. Sex and birth are painful.  The trauma of the operation has left Tashi with mental health issues so a lot of the book is dealing with the recovery. I read the book while over nighting in Ber