A Land Where East Meets West

Written 19 November 2023 No. 1259 New Poems Only Poetry Contest Sponsored by Brian Stand A Land Where East Meets the West In a world where race stands as walls Where east is east and west is west, It is pleasing to dream at all Of an idyllic earthly place Where east and west meet at their best Where humans of diverse races Have by fate been convened to rest. And thrive abreast in peace and grace. Such an astounding land of dream in the Indian Ocean Is perched and each citizen beams, Inviting with a smiling gleam Visitors to the land of sun, Light blue seas and ivory sand, Of bright rainbows and shooting stars And a rare picturesque island With a pristine charming nature. It is a land that bears the print Of short term Dutch settlers who preyed On the island`s rare trees, by dint Of sheer sadism, for good erased The unique dodo from the land And feasted on its resources Before they quitted the island To tap other distant sources. It`s a land with root infrastructure Laid down by French administrators With painful tales of of slave labour From Africa and its neighbours, With its basic legislation Drawn from the the Napoleonic code And its cane plantation Set by indentured labour from India, After scrapping of slavery abroad, With shop-keeping maintained on board By settlers from mainland China, It `s a land later captured by England, With institutions of democracy Firmly set up in the island, A righteous judiciary Lawfully and firmly entrenched After the country`s independence And the rule of law as vision That reflects English traditions. It`s a land where standard English Is the main official language Though most dailies French do cherish, Where citizens, talks do engage Widely in local dialects While in some rural areas To converse largely do elect Their mother tongues with full aura. It`s a land where stand side by side Temples and churches alongside Mosques and pagodas close at sight, A rare mix of cultures all bright, A blend of cuisine in one spot, A taste of savours sweet and hot, A fusion of music from east and west Poetic and cupid at very best. Mauritius is termed this dreamland, A star in the Indian Ocean, Where poverty keeps receding, The economy keeps thriving, Quality of life improving, Where peace and harmony are blest And justice is at its fairest, A land where east meets west at best.