Poetry Corner

Poetry Corner

As we are nearing the end of the expedition I thought that by sharing some of the amazing talent that has been passed to me in the form of various poems this would be a good way of summarising the amazing experiences the venturers have had. I would like to thank all of the venturers on 10C for all of the material, thoughts, help and laughter that they have shared with me. They have made this job a delight and a pleasure!

A Ginger Man in India

A ginger man in India

Is a lonely man to be

He longs to taste a great big steak

But there's just Masala and Chapati

The heat is not agreeable

Suncream up or else go red

Such vicious risks are not a concern

If you visit Glasgow instead

So the awkward glances as he prances

Will force the orange one out

And the modest ambitions and sexist traditions

Are just not what he is about

It's by now you must have guessed

That its best for all concerned 

If the ginger chap with the oversized cap

Leave India and not return

A month ago I would have said

That the words above were true

Yes it was quite ideal for myself to feel

That in India I’d be screwed

                                                         

But in a way I am so proud to say for once

That I was wrong

Though calm down now I won't somehow

 Start wearing a sarong!

It's just that Indian customs are admirally ruh

Their natives are so nice

That any man or woman (ginger or otherwise)

 Can live there happily, so long as you like rice!

 by Chris Devlin as he reflects on his time in Phase One at Ealamanna

Do you like Curry

Do you like curry?

The Ealamarans do

There is no sign of pasta here

 Nor a hint of Irish stew

At first it seemed a bit too much

The spice was soon released

But gradually as time went by

Our tolerance increased

The chefs in this fair village

Prepare two meals a day

For a group of Raleigh venturers

Who dig and carry dirt away

We did send up two helpers

Calm eager and keen to learn

Though shame they were both peelers

For fear the recipes weren't spurred

A favourite were chapatis

Many swallowed whole with ease

And once they even added chicken

Displeasing vegan Louise

And not forgetting the fluffy rice

A frequent lunchtime treat

All washed down nicely with a bourbon

A necessary sweet

How lucky are we chosen few

Who are known as Charlie One

To be served up such delicious food

In the Ealamanna sun.

by Chris Devlin as he reflects on his time in Phase One at Ealamanna

Ealamanna

The wheels came to a stop after three hours drive
We stepped out with our eyes open wide
Greeted by the soft Ealamanna sun
Anticipating work and play and fun

The children stared from their smokey corners
As we heard the sound of the funeral mourners
And yet they smiled and greeted and waved
And we had arrived and were here to stay

The sun will set and the sun will rise

The village awakes as the cockerel cried

We wake and crawl in to the pit

And with a smile we get on with it

Steel hits the earth with the sharpest sustain

Whilst the bricks come down in a steady train

People sweat and rest and smile

And our project moves on mile by mile

Since we’ve arrived we’ve come so far

Laughing and joking under the stars

Friends right now and friends to be

We go to sleep and be happy

Charlie One is our name

A group, a team and friends the same

All so close with smiles all round

A team for life is surely found

by Harry Swinton a poem written in Phase One about his time in Ealamanna

Basher – time reading:

E.M Forster ‘A passage to India’

Old Mr Graysford and young Mr Sorley, the devoted missionaries wonder whether we can achieve Raleigh’s goal of global citizenship…..

Chapter IV “All invitations must proceed from heaven perhaps; perhaps it is futile for men to initiate their own unity, they do but widen the gulfs between them by their attempt.”

So far at Echo 4 the Parasanatham villagers have been incredibly inviting; from Chai tea in the farmhouse to filling our buckets at the well, they have helped us feel at home and we in turn hope to improve their beautiful home. There is no gulf. Our unity is the anathema of futile.

by Anna Jeffery reflecting on her time with Echo 4 in Phase One

Porridge

Porridge….yep, that’s a good wholesome thing here in India. It gives us the energy to fetch the water for the day and haul it all back again. It gives us lots of beans for moving the machetes and building the bashers, it’s a great food which lasts us all the way until lunch. There are many variations that have been invented; porridge and jam, sugar, crushed biscuits, raisins, cake and occasionally the odd ant that wishes to share in the gloopy glory. All in all porridge is great….I just wish that I could like it!

By Wenna from her time at Echo 4 in Parasanatham

A Snippet of Time

So at this moment in time I’m sitting on a large jutting out boulder looking over a valley with hills towering up and above either side. A snapshot in time where you realize how the world is so much bigger than yourself. You know the beautiful simplicity of nature when you stop the ipod in your ears and the thoughts in your head and all you can hear is the wind flowing through the meanders of the trees. A single leaf mutters its protest as a twig grasps and holds it in its embrace, preventing it from continuing to its natural course.

by Alice Macleannan written in Phase One at Parasanatham


We begin strong selected soldiers

We begin strong selected soldiers

A blank canvas awaiting us
The distant hillside of the never ending
Highways of unstoppable force
We had arrived
One foot in front of the other

Greens, yellows, browns
Surround us, concealed and sheltered
Undulating ground descends only to ascend
Coated in sweat
We continue
One foot in front of the other

We enter deeper
Elephants, rats and spiders
Trip stumble and falls
Anger versus laughter
We are strong selected soldiers
One foot in front of the other.


a poem by Sarah Wilson which describes her Jungle Trek