Poem and painting by Gladys Bedminster

Cesaire was the first black author that I ever read and remains my literary role model. I am drawn to authors who keep their style quirky and different from the mainstream, among contemporary authors I would cite Pennac and Nothomb. Among black authors, Senghor and Césaire are still geniuses to me.

Looking further back I would include Baudelaire and Maupassant as well as the absurdists Ionesco and Camus. “Ferrements” by Césaire and “Les Fleurs du Mal” by Baudelaire have permanent place on my night stand.

My roots are the color of my pen. I became aware of my country at a very
young age and take all of my inspiration from it- Guadeloupe is an emerald
which I hold closely to my heart.

Creole is used to transmit traditions that are fading nowadays.
During my years in university, I was fortunate to learn to write it, and though
I’ve never published in Creole, it’s a work under way.
 

DOMINO
Ki non ou pé ba on pitit
Ki anmitan doub blan é doub sis ?
Sa pa on ras : métis !
Ou pé pa déklaré’y lapolis !
Lè ti moun an nou lót bó dlo
Yo pa sav si rasin a yo an nèj ou en koko
Yo konnèt péy la yenki an foto
Ou té ké di mémwa a yo an zo…

DOMINO
What name can we give to a child
Who lies between a pair of whites and a pair of sixes?
It is not a race: Mixed!
We don’t even know how to categorize him on his identity card (to the police)!
Once our children have crossed the ocean
They don’t even know if their roots lie in the snow or the coconut
They only know their homeland through photos
Their memory no more than a sack of bones.