Cover Image: Lucy Jane, Martinique 2022
Image courtesy of the poet

This is the third part of Dr. Roseline Armange's three-part poem called "Navigating the Binaries." It is part of a collection of poetry entitled Queering My Caribbeanness, an autobiographical body of art that explores Black queerness in the French Caribbean. Dr. Armange (aka Lucy Jane) describes it as "embodying love and light as authentic truth" and considers it a "consecrated act of social change."

Find Sequentia 1:3 here.
Find Sequentia 2:3 here.

 

Navigating the Binaries: Sequentia 3:3

 

Zami

 

Zami - A spirit!

Zami - The Ugly!

Zami -   in Trois-îlets and Carbet (mangrooving - a term I created to speak about moving within the tensions/navigating the tensions of living in Martinique in the mangrove)

For these are the spaces assigned!

Rainbow lines

Rainbow geographies

Under a silent still ignorant hate and rejection of what humaness is after all

God is Queer for I know for sure

God is I am what you say you are

 

But Shhht…. Crab nan trou pa ka palé (Crabs in holes don't talk). 

Ti brin respect ba lè ainé! (A little respect for the elders!)

Ti brin respect ba bondié! (A little respect for God!)

Shhhht…. Denial is my praise

Unspeaking the truth is my prayer!

Days and Nights

Unveiling the truths

Univeiling family devils and Martinican’s shame to be away

 

Oh! I love you, My Daughter!

The truth is too hard!

The truth is tro lou (too heavy)!

The truth is tro lou (too heavy)!

 

Pardonare the womb of my womb (Forgive me)

The weight of Maman Makrèl is tro lou (the Mother of gossips is too heavy)

 

Pardonare the womb of my womb (Forgive me)

The weight of my religious songs and churchy praises

Is trop lou (is too heavy)

 

Kyrié Elysion, they say! (Kyrie Eleison) they say

Kyrié Elysion, they sing! (Kyrie Eleison) they sing

Kyrié Elysion, Killing the masses

Killing the unworthy of the churches

Killing the loved one under Pharisees ugly ignorant truth

 

Singing!

 

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

False acceptance

Under a covering shade of disgrace and harmful death sentence and guilt!

Kyrié Elysion yo ka di (Kyrie Eleison, they say)

Loving is Pure

Loving you Impure

Get away from me Satan

You, the Devil!

Get away from me Satan

You, the Shameful!

Get away from me Satan

You, the Soils of Sodom & Gomorrah

 

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

Some of them are praying away for the Truth to be revealed

A Truth of unwanted love and acceptance

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

I say, Is my Liberation

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

I say, Is my Freedom

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

I say, My truth, My God

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

I say, Haven, my Place, my Peace

Kyrié Elysion (Kyrie Eleison)

 

Queer-yrié Elysion! (Queer Kyrie Eleison)

 denial

Queer-yrié Elysion!

Away the weight of traditional démesure (intemperance)

Away the weight of your uncomfortable heaviness

Queer-yrié Elysion

A Praise of Liberation

 

Pardonare The womb of my womb ! (Forgive me)

The weight of my cultural unacceptability is tro lou (too heavy)

Denial is my song

Cultural sadness my injunction

Cultural shame my praise

For this is what I learned to display

For this is what I learned to play

 

Pardonare The womb of my womb! (Forgive me)

Daughter of my womb!

For my love is

I love you, in the silence of my speech

I love you, in the silence of my word

I love you, in the silence of my kisses

Daughter of my womb

Daughter of my soul

Daughter of my light

 

Under the silent rule of gendered normative ways

The churches are still singing: “Praise to the Lord, Oh, Lord what a blessing to love our neighbors! How blessed is our love extended to our neighbors, foreigners of our mental binary narrowness.

Blessed is the Lord of the Lord!

Aaaaamen”

 

Pardonare, O, My Mother !

The mother of God’s womb

My deepest Heart did the work

My deepest Soul did the healing

My deepest Spirit did the moving

 

Pardonare, O, My mother !

The mother of God’s womb

For love is Love

A long way to learn it

A long way of accepting it

For Love is Love

 

Hearing the sounds of God speaking to my Spirit

It is time

It is time

It is time

Hearing the sound of God righting my Heart and healing my soul

Everlasting peace is what I was granted of

Everlasting love is what I was granted of

“For who are not loved, shall be called Beloved” says God

For those who are hurt shall be comforted

My comfort is in my God (Love)

My comfort is Eternal Love (God)

“For let him who accept this teaching do so” recounted Matthew a million times (Matthew 19:12)

 

From my love arises encompassing forgiveness 

From my love arises encompassing love

From my love arises encompassing eternity

From my love arises encompassing peace

From my love arises encompassing Eternal Love

 

Zami

Zami

Zami….

 

Getting out of the Binaries

Becoming Free

 

03 Juin 2022 5:54 PM

“In front of the sea, Telling, voicing the fundamental I AM THAT I AM with joyful praise and joyful smile. A state of Rapha. Peace be within.”

 ~ Lucy Jane

 

27 Juin 2022 1:51 AM

“Silent rains, and thunderstorms from the outside-in, the raining night shout out the joy of my raining redemption, my raining joyful song, my raining everlasting liberation.”

 ~ Lucy Jane

 

27 Juin 2022, 10:40 AM

The Sounds of God encompassing love and setting everlasting peace. Away my pride and fears and violence. Restoration is in my womb. Restoration is who I am. Restored My Name. Liberated My Full Name. Righting my Pride. Enlighting the Prideness of my PRIDE!

 ~ Lucy Jane

Lucy Jane, Martinique 2022
Image courtesy of the poet