REVIEW OF POEM WRITTEN BY BRENDA MOHAMMED
Brenda Mohammed’s “A Caribbean Experience” reads as both a lyrical travelogue and a celebratory hymn to the islands of the Caribbean. The poem merges geographic precision with personal reflection, inviting readers into a landscape where natural beauty, cultural vibrancy, and lived memory converge.The poem is organized in stanzas that function like a guidebook itinerary: each section highlights a different island, offering cultural notes, natural wonders, and personal impressions. This structural choice provides clarity and progression, moving readers across the Caribbean archipelago as though they are journeying alongside the poet. The use of rhyme, sometimes couplets, sometimes looser patterns, gives the piece a songlike rhythm that mirrors both the celebratory tone and the musical traditions of the Caribbean itself.
The poem’s opening establishes a contrast between “dreaming of travelling” and “nationals who are born and live there.” This contrast situates the work between the tourist’s gaze and the insider’s perspective, acknowledging both the allure of the Caribbean to outsiders and the authenticity of those who call it home.
Each island receives its own portrait:
Trinidad and Tobago is a hub of culture, carnival, and connection.
Saint Lucia with volcanic healing springs and the iconic Pitons.
Barbados blends history, leisure, and natural beauty.
Anguilla is glamorous and exclusive, yet also serene.
Saint Maarten is painted vividly with the imagery of God’s hand.
Curacao, with its coral reefs and the iconic Queen Emma Bridge.
This cataloguing of islands reflects not only diversity within the Caribbean but also the poet’s lived familiarity with them. Personal experience also anchors the poem: the closing stanzas reveal that the poet has vacationed in these places.
Beyond description, the poem reflects the Caribbean as a place of intersection: geography, history, culture, tourism, and memory intertwine. In this sense, Mohammed’s poem contributes to a broader tradition of Caribbean writing that both celebrates the islands’ beauty and acknowledges their cultural richness. The choice to highlight tourism, airlines, resorts, and cruise ships reveals an awareness of how the Caribbean is globally perceived, yet the personal anecdotes remind us that it is more than an exoticized dreamscape: it is a lived reality.
Final Thoughts
“A Caribbean Experience” succeeds as both travel invitation and poetic celebration. It showcases Brenda Mohammed’s intimate knowledge of her region while capturing the allure that has made the Caribbean a place of dreams for so many. With its blend of information, imagery, and personal memory, the poem functions not only as a lyrical guidebook but also as a love letter to home.
Reviewer: Echopoet Editorial Board
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