Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
ONE OF the more striking features of Ancile Gloudon's 'Behold The Man', a 59-page collection of 54 poems, is his ability to adopt the persona of different Biblical characters, including the central one, Jesus.
It is a necessary skill, as otherwise the collection would come across largely as poetic regurgitation of chapter and verse of the Bible, around which the collection centres. As it is, Gloudon's passion for his subject comes through clearly, not only in praise songs to Christ (some of which are remarkably Psalm-like), but also from the imaginative reconstruction of his supporting cast, if such a term is applicable to persons in the Bible.
However, the word 'passion' is used strikingly in 'Gordon Town', by far my favourite poem of the collection, which speaks to God granting Gloudon's wish to live in the vividly painted St. Andrew village, which reads in part:
"There is a little village nestled at the foot of the hills
With one main entrance, and only one exit
This quiet village in its serene verdure
Is the home of many birds, beautiful butterflies and moths
In early summer the raucous call of the cicadas is heard
To be followed later by the chirping of crickets?"
But it is the Messiah, not mountain foot village, who is explored in-depth in 'Behold The Man', which is divided into the sections 'Prayer', 'Christ', 'People He Touched', 'Praise' and 'Reflections'. The 'Christ' segment is further sub-divided into 'Genesis' and 'His Life' and it is in the former that I encountered 'Joseph', in which Gloudon looks at the immaculate conception from the perspective of the husband.
This is a situation that I, a decidedly non-Christian, had always been interested in and Gloudon addresses the subject head-on, capturing the confusion and anger of the perceived cuckold with:
"Pregnant! Pregnant! My betrothed is with child
But not for me!
Oh the shame and disgrace of it all,
The hollow mocking laughter.
I cannot bear it,
I will not bear it,
I will have her stoned"
Gloudon puts on his poetic hems and ruffles in 'Come See The Man', as he delves into the mind of the woman at the well:
"As I walked down the streets that day, with my thoughts far away
My life played in technicolour before my eyes, and I rued the day
I crept along the streets casting furtive glances as I went"
Then, in 'Thief on the Cross', Gloudon has his arms poetically splayed and nailed along with Jesus, with:
"They broke my legs, increasing my suffering,
And hastening my death. I was at peace
An unusual calm overtook me, I had hope"
And Gloudon takes on the persona of the Christ himself in 'The Last Hurdle':
"I had endured being driven through the streets,
With stony face I withstood their mockery?
One last step remained, one last suffering
The road to the Place of Skulls seemed so long?"
The poems in 'Behold The Man', while vivid in description and strong on passion, are weaker on their imagery, with the prosaic often taking precedence. This is so in the title poem, which uses the title as a refrain and touches on many aspects of Jesus' life from betrayal to judgement to crucifixion.
However, what resounds throughout Gloudon's collection is his deep faith, 'My Thousandth Friend' exemplifying that with:
"When the billows of clouds enfold me,
In their great blackness I cringe,
But my Thousandth Friend comes to me,
And pulls me from their grasp".
