THE POETRY OF LEON DAMAS
Leon D a m a s : born 1912 in Cayenne, French Guiana. Studied, and lives n o w , in Paris. Has published five volumes of p o e t r y .
They Came Tonight
They came tonight w h e n t h e torn
torn
revolved from rhvthm to
rhythm
the frenzy of eves
J
t h e frenzy of hands the frenzv of the feet of the statues S I N C E
how much of M E has died
since they came tonight when the torn
torn
revolved from rhvthm to
r h y t h m the frenzv of eyes
t h e frenzv of hands the frenzy of the feet of the statues.
Borders
Give me back my black dolls to disperse
t h e image of pallid wenches vendors of love going and coming
on the boulevard of my b o r e d o m
A F R I C A S O 11 T H
Give m e back my black dolls to disperse
t h e everlasting image t h e hallucinating image
of overdressed and heavy m a r i o n e t t e s from w h o m t h e w i n d brings misery m e r c v
Give m e t h e illusion never to appease t h e exposed n e e d
of roaring demands
u n d e r t h e unconscious disdain of t h e w o r l d
Give m e back my black dolls to play t h e simple games of mv instincts to rest in t h e shadow of their laws to r e c o v e r my courage
my boldness
to feel mvself myself
a n e w self from t h e one 1 was yesterday vesterdav
w i t h o u t com pi ications yesterday w h e n t h e h o u r of u p r o o t i n g c a m e .
Will they ever k n o w this r a n c o u r of my heart in the eye of my m i s t r u s t too late o p e n e d they have stolen t h e space that was mine c u s t o m days life
song r h y t h m effort pathways w a t e r h o m e s m o k i n g grey earth w i s d o m w o r d s palaver ancestors
cadence hands standards hands t r a m p l i n g t h e soil—
Give m e back my black dolls my black dolls
black dolls
dolls. LEON DAMAS
