How one poet is helping craft her community’s idenity
POETRY plays a significant role in culture. Although an individualistic craft, poetry can give a voice to a people. Rhythmic sentences that tell of your home are vital in creating a sense of pride in one’s identity, origin, and past. This is how Clarine Charles views poetry. The now 60-year-old is a pillar of the community of Bethany. Born and raised in the village, it is the only home she has ever known and the one she continues to represent with her poetic words.

Upbringing and origin.
Sixty years in the village of Bethany has ensured Clarine Charles’ place among the people. She has worked in and around the village all her life and is well-known among the locals. Her words, however, reach further and have a far greater impact. Beginning fresh out of high school, Clarine took on poetry to represent her village of Bethany. Today, her words live on as a part of the community, and they continue to be heard as they work to shape the community’s identity.

Recalling her early days in school, Clarine excelled throughout her schooling, and upon ending her secondary education, she saw poetry as her next endeavour. “Our teachers of the time were really good. They used to teach us. So when we went to write our assessment we all passed. They were very good,” she explained.
After attending Anna Regina Multilateral School, among the best schools in the region, poetry called her. “When I finished secondary school I told myself that I have to tell stories and make my poems,” she said. This decision would have a far greater impact than she could have imagined. Clarine had always had a passion for all things literature; writing her pieces, however, was an entirely different thing. Nonetheless, it is something that she excelled at. Her work began as most poets do, drawing inspiration from her surroundings. Being encapsulated by the striking beauty of Bethany was inspiring and still is. This pushed Clarine to formulate countless stories about her home.

Representing her home with words.
Clarine’s poems are intrinsic to listen to, especially her spoken word. But it is now just her passion and emphasis on performing her poetry that bring her work to life. The enigmatic poet has spent decades formulating lines and rhyming words in a way that is especially pleasing to listen to while getting each message across. As she stated, “I got my book and I began to think about how to write my poems, how I would form my lines; how I would name the poems; and how I would do it when I am telling the poem. About how I have to be very outspoken and how I have to be very fluent.” To Clarine, poetry is a craft that requires more than pretty words. She describes it as a technical skill as well. She emphasises the significance of voice and the very way the words are spoken. The very words she speaks represent her home.

The conservation of the craft.
Heritage time in Guyana is a big deal for everyone. All across the country, Guyana’s first people came together to celebrate history and culture, which is so rich it is felt in every corner of the country. Amidst the arrows, bows, and food of the occasion, there is craft and creativity. Clarine’s poetic talent is on full display during this time. She has had countless poems about Bethany and what her community means to her, and her words resonate with people everywhere as she speaks of challenges that are familiar to many. Clarine’s favourite poem, however, is one she wrote for her husband, titled, ‘God created you and me.’ Today, Clarine still writes in her spare time. In between working at the school and farming, she finds time to sit and tell stories. She patiently awaits the next heritage when her voice will be heard once again.