Malefactor (Left)
So you is God?
Den teck we down! Tiefin doan bad
like crucifyin!
wha do you, man?
Save all a wi from dyin!S
Malefactor (Right)
Doan bodder widdim, Master; him
Must die;
but when you Kingdom come, remember I.
when you sail across de sea,
O God of Judah, carry I wit dee.
The most celebrated Easter poem in Caribbean literature is Mervyn Morris’ “On Holy Week”. It is a sequence of poems which when put together make up one dramatic piece; a dialogue theatrically presenting the dramatis personae of the Easter story. Like so many other great works inspired by Easter with its story of the crucifixion and resurrection, it is fairly faithful to the Christian plot but is not a religious message or statement. There is much more than that taking place in the poem thematically, dramatically, poetically, linguistically, politically, which reflect certain preoccupations of Morris and why he is an important writer.
Unlike so many poets, Morris is a very good reader of his work. He shares that particular quality with another
