Underneath the Tropical Paradise (WSS Poem)

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
9 March 2009
Underneath the Tropical Paradise

“Remorse is the poison of life.”
-Jane Eyre (144).

A solitary life (18) in (67) my (56) wild (19) garden (19).
Overgrown (104) but (101) empty (18), poisoned (18).
A (18) white cockroach, (23) alone (26).
Go away (23). Go away (23). Go away (23).
Consoling hope (119) only in (118) the wall (178), the moss (57).
It (174) never (78) says (93) “go away” (23).
On the (83) other side (175), they made (138) the wall (117) red (181).
Money (24). Obeah (145). Blood (167). Curses (150). Death (150).
All on (87) the other side (85) of that (36) red (130) wall (117),
For (87) a snake (167) in here (90), I leave (78) for (87) the (84) unknown (73) forest (104).

Caught in the rain (99), we (83) hide (100).
Looking out (70), I think (83), “what have (138) I (78) done (180)?”
Everything is too much (140) in this (38) blazing (25) Granbois (118).
Moths and beetles (149) burn to their death (149)
Like (19) a cold (126) dark dream (140).
Flamboyant flowers (185) don’t live long (76),
A (87) petal falling (87) one (45) by (60) one (45) onto (93) dirt (48)
Under (72) the dark (117) sky (119).
With a (73) cock that crows (127), past the (38) Mounes Mors (120) we go (93).
I want to (73) take her away (140) from this (73) ill place (160).
The (62) memory to be avoided (166).

So (98) it was all over (65).
It is cold (126) here (73), a (62) very (82) bitter (73) cold (173).
Lost (82) in an (83) unfamiliar (174) environment (38),
Am I still (64) the white cockroach (23)?
Maybe, (73) but not (73) in my garden (19).
In a (82) house (180). A cardboard world (180).
No space (73) to live (173).
Life and death (179) lies (164) in red (185).
A fire (178) red (185). A (87) blood (167) red (185).
Everything (84) comes (73) down to (47) nothing (82).
So we rode away (172).