TWO COUNTRIES SPEAK

About the Book

Two Countries Speak: Poems and Remembrances is a rendition of poems and reminiscences showcasing author Joyce P. Nightingale-Holder's early life in Barbados and her current experiences in America.

BLINDFOLDS

We wear our blindfolds,
Blindfolds of many colors.
Like sunglasses of convenience,
With tinted lenses fashioned to our fancy
That sometimes hide what's painful to acknowledge.

From time to time
Conscience removes the blindfolds
And therein lies the book.
The book of fears and prejudices
The book of challenges
Bigger than friends,
Bigger than family,
The book of self
A workbook we all must engage
Each day, every day.

Do we dare show
The pages of our foibles?
And stand exposed for prying eyes to witness
Can we be bold and shift the paradigm?
Or put the blindfolds on and walk away
Will we accept discomfort to know truth,
Or will we stay within the realm of familiar?

About the Author

Barbados native Joyce P. Nightingale-Holder is the author of Mosaic of Thoughts and Lines in Heritage. She was assistant professor at the College of Health Related Professions, SUNY, Downstate Medical Center. She now resides in New York.