Notting Hill Carnival 2018
Perched on the sidelines like a flock of hummingbirds Performers take a short rest before restarting the show Ruffling their feathers, polishing the rhinestones of their crowns Bodies oiled like sleek machines waiting for the action Photo Hugh Ardoin The Notting Hill 2018 Carnival Gallery Hits: 2
Two young black beauties wearing trendy shades Dance together on the Notting Hill avenues Exchanging glances anonymously through their glazed mirrors Silent messages for goddesses only, unbeknownst to mere mortals Dreams and fantasies suddenly pop like a balloon meeting a sharp end They drift away on clouds of smoke and waves of music Carnival will […]
Let the people talk and walk your walk Unfazed by their glances and the whispers Be you and nobody else, just careless and free Carnival days are for masquerade But what difference does it make Every day you wear a mask that they lend you So today it is inside out in the crowd Bumper […]
The African girl’s friendship thing is a strong non sexual bondage Different worlds and different cultures meet at the Carnival It was Claudia Jones Cumberbatch’s purpose to seek peace In the wake of the Notting Hill riots triggered by a racist murder Time flies, but minds ride at a snail’s pace Culture is the whip’s […]
Let the Soca music carry you across the ocean To reach the shores once soiled by Columbus Set the clocks of time back to the era of utopia When the Americas had their own names and rules The real land of the free where the buffalo roamed And the girl was dancing to forget and […]
Like an appearance to rekindle the promise of Adventures in Paradise Captain Troy walks the gangplank between fantasy and reality His cap strategically dipped on one side, his eyes concealed by fashion shades Privateer of the Barbary Coast or part-time playboy Trawling for sirens and lonely hearts Riding the tide of social media fame To […]
Black beauty dancing in a tight pink dress that shows more than it hides A bottle of pink wine in her hand, half full or half empty Like the lyrics of the Eagles’ song “Welcome to Hotel California” “Mirrors on the ceiling pink champagne on ice You can check out any time you like But […]
Two young black fashionistas tote their figures over the Hill Dressed in expensive Moschino outfits and other luxury brands Elegance is a form of disguise of beauty hiding under beauty So let us be bemused and mesmerized by what we see And forget for a moment the tropical dreams of our younger days So spoke […]
A wink and a twinkle, the gleam of a smile and a sign The selfie sign or “pīsu sain” that Japanese idols use The flap started here at the beat of a heart and the jungle drums It rose up to the sky and flew away beyond the clouds To grow into a hurricane at […]
Drinking from the bottle is the shortcut from the cup to the lips Sipping at the red and sweet drink as if it was the fountain of youth The music was playing an old Bob Marley tune, and the crowd sang along “We are the children of the Iyaman” as the parade moved through the […]