Half-Caste

Excuse me
standing on one leg
I'm half-caste
Explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when picasso
mix red an green
is a half-caste canvas/
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when light an shadow
mix in de sky
is a half-caste weather/
well in dat case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some o dem cloud
half-caste till dem overcast
so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass
ah rass/
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean tchaikovsky
sit down at dah piano
an mix a black key
wid a white key
is a half-caste symphony/
Explain yuself
wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
half of mih ear
Ah lookin at yu wid de keen
half of mih eye
and when I'm introduced to yu
I'm sure you'll
understand
why I offer yu half-a-hand
an when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
an when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow
but yu must come back tomorrow
wid de whole of yu eye
an de whole of yu ear
an de whole of yu mind
an I will tell yu
de other half
of my story



Ok, the poem is at the top, uhm i wanted you lot to read it and then just give e your view about the poem and what you think it is about, because my coursework needs some different viewpoints, thank you.

__________________

I read this in my mind in an accent because of the language..it kind of makes you do that when you read it. Put me off it slighty but it's good, just the language put me off.

Lol, you should listen to the poet saying it himself, its scary, Lol, i'll try to find it, and thank you for your view.

__________________

Oh shoot..i thought YOU wrote that..lol, i was gonna say you use slang alot but that's just..........

no, Lol, Me? the poet is, John Agard, he's from Guiana(s/c) thats why the poem is written in patoia(s/c) cuz its from another culture.

__________________

I've got no problem with the language..i respect different cultures, it just doesn't do it for me on that poem although i do like it.

Hm, but if you hear the way he heads it, its like he's the boogeyman or something, he goes 'haaaaaallf' really slow and then 'caste' soo fast, he makes the poem kinda scary imo.

__________________

It's just a different take on a poem, in my opinion it makes it interesting if you hear something like that because you wouldn't hear it in a lot of other poems.

yh i know, but lol, my teacher scared ALL of us lool, but i do like the contrast in the poem about being half-caste.

__________________

The poem itself is not that hard to understand.