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.
Copyright ©
Krishnanand Guptar
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