Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Martin Glynn believes that 'the only object of each poet is to find their own voice'. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
'Twas the night before Emancipation Day 2007 and within the walls of the School of Dance, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, many things were a-stirring, none of them in leotards.
The major stirrer, in movement and by his words, was Martin Glynn, guest poet for the July gathering of the Poetry Society of Jamaica, moved indoors as the regular amphitheatre venue was given over to summer camp purposes.
Glynn, who said he recently turned 50 and realised that he had been practising the art of dub poetry for about 30 years, combined vibrant verse and heartfelt advice, saying, "The only object of each poet is to find their own voice."
Love onstage
He has performed with poets from all over the world and "very few men deal with love onstage." Someone in the audience got the dictionary definition of time ("continuous passage of existence") right, and Glynn said that one difference he has noticed from visiting Jamaica 14 years ago is that "people have less time for each other."
He immediately got the audience involved, requesting all to say 'time' to a motion of his right hand and going into poetry with "many are behind the ...," a chorus of voices duly supplying 'time'. He ended the poem, written the day before, with "seize the ..." and a final hand movement.
'Cutting Fresh Air', a poem about being single, also involved the audience on the refrain and title of the poem, then Glynn went back to something he had done 14 years previously in Jamaica while performing with Mutabaruka. "How many people have been told they should not sing?" he asked, the laughter and number of hands showing that it was a familiar experience. "This is a song for my mom, a different kind of song," Glynn said, using his right hand to tap his chest. Eyes closed, he scatted at first then extended his left hand as he sang "it was only yesterday I heard my mother say, get all the things in life you need ...". The tattoo of palm on gold shirt-covered chest was joined by the muted tap of feet on wooden flooring, Glynn closing with a repeated 'run away'.
The Essence of You
'The Essence of You', sparked by a hug that someone had given him, was done to a hip-hop rhythm, while Love Dub addressed how a man would tell a woman he loves her in dub poetry, ending with "I am Studio One and you are the dub" to enthusiastic cheers.
Glynn was called back for more and he went back to a poem written 27 years ago, based on being at a dance and seeing a man kill another with a ratchet-knife slash to the neck. Glynn said he had written 'The Ratchet a Talk' to be dramatic and testified that "poetry saved my life. It still does".
And he moved to and fro on the stage as he recreated the night in words, hand chopping in the remembered knife slash before he concluded, "Dat deh night in de scuffle an de fight, de guilty one escape. Dat a de ratchet, seen", a closed, black clasp knife offered up to the audience.
