Local prize-winning poet and her ...

He would write about current affairs, politics – his editorials were always on point.

“His ability to use the English language and his expression is something I have always been fond of.”

In addition to penning poems and the odd hymn, Garland occasionally writes short stories too. One of them, ‘A Day in the Life of a Salt Raker Family’, was recently published in the Weekly News.

“The subject comes to mind and then I start writing it. Sometimes it happens when I am in bed. I have learned over the years to keep a notepad nearby.

Heritage Vibes

Its six o’clock in the morning, The kids are stretching and yawning, The adults are already about the lay Of a usually busy day.

Now I use my phone to make notes,” she says.

It’s many years since Garland first saw her work in print.

“My first published poem appeared in our local newspaper, The Conch News, entitled ‘Jamaica is Independent’,” she recalls.

Sadly her copy of that journal is long lost but the mother-ofthree and grandmother-of-10 has her sights set on one more ambition.

“I intend to write a book,” she says.

Garland discovered her appreciation for the English language while still in primary school in Salt Cay.

“From my early school years, I have enjoyed poetry which was included in our English Language and English Literature curriculum. I then discovered that I loved composing words and would do so about almost everything,” she imparts.

Garland would go on to become a primary school teacher before leaving the tiny isle in 1965 and moving to Grand Turk, and later Providenciales. A career in banking ensued, along with a 30-year stint as a director of Claymore Corporate Services which provides professional services to domestic and offshore company clients.

Garland was married to the late Sterlin Garland, who served in various senior roles in government. She is a founder member of the NGO Women in Development which works alongside the government’s Gender Affairs Desk, as well as the Turks and Caicos National Trust and the TCI Writers Society.

At the inauguration of the latter - at the peak of the pandemic - she read her poem ‘Get Vaccinated’.

“The country was still recovering from lockdown and there were many sceptics resisting inoculation,” she says. The first public function showcased by the TCI Writers Society was a story competition. Garland entered and won first prize for ‘A Day in the Life of a Salt Raker Family’. In May last year, she claimed multiple top nods in the society’s poetry contest.

The school clock strikes the hour of four, And the students politely file through the door, They are in for an afternoon of great fun, Playing hopscotch and marbles, eating candy and sweet bun.

As she prepares to mark her 80th birthday next year, it is still writing that keeps Garland fulfilled.

“I am forever editing a piece,” she smiles. “I will go over and over it and once I am satisfied, I say that’s it – and I feel I have accomplished something.”

And always be lovingly supportive of you.

I promised that when you are evilly mocked, And bad men around you are viciously flocked I’ll be in your corner, I will rally for you, My love for you is everlasting and true.

There’s water to draw from the tank on the hill, And this requires the children to fill The water drums which now sit without, Considering the island has a drought.

There’s firewood to gather from Taylor’s Hill, There’s sweeping the yard, and the troughs to fill For the donkeys and chickens and the cows if they come, Lumbering and lowing, bringing mosquitos home.

The children are scampering and not wasting time, These chores must be done before the clock strikes nine.

And one of the first lessons a child must learn Is the clock – as time they must always discern.

And now at breakfast with bodies washed clean, The children are awaiting a meal that’s not mean, Grits and bread and scrambled eggs, And cocoa laced with sweet milk and mutmegs

With bellies now full they are off to school; Homework was completed last night as a rule; And now anxiously awaiting the teachers’ marks, Hopeful they won’t have to repeat these tasks.

And so has ended another day, And it’s time for a bath and checkers to play; Then it’s off to bed and everyone’s snoring, Knowing full well tomorrow won’t be boring.

Sandra E. Garland

Written for National Heritage Month October 17, 2021

Reflections of my childhood - This poem recounts a normally average day in the life of a Salt Cay family when I was a child.

That Kiss On Your Forehead

My kiss on your forehead springs from my heart, And conveys my support in whole and in part; I know your worth and the call on your life, Your commitment and passion are ever rife.

I promised to be with you on good days and bad, And when you are happy and when you are sad, I vowed to uphold and defend you too,

I vowed that as on this road we travel, Our special bond will never unravel, Together this journey will make us strong, And we will renounce the opponent’s wrong. Their baneful words won’t hinder our progress Our plans and preparedness will bring us success, In spite of their venom our goals will proceed, You are imminently ready. For this job you are teed.

So my kiss on your forehead speak volumes from my heart, With floods of emotions in total and in part, It sends a clear message to those who would harm us: Their sinister objections will never alarm us.

Written by Sandra E. Garland April 8,

2022

On the occasion of Senate of the United States confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first black woman to be seated on the Supreme Court in its 233 years history. This poem is inspired by “that kiss on the forehead” of Judge Jackson by her husband Dr. Patrick G. Jackson during the Senate hearings and was seen around the world.