To Hold a Meditation

To Hold a Meditation Christian Campbell (bio) And then I dive, serene as a turtle,goggles strapped tight; I am like the bronze-hairedmen at Arawak Cay who dive for conchall day. I am looking for shells and brownpebbles, bits of coral, to turn over and over in my hands, but half-hiddenby the blue-brown reef is a body tombedin seaweed and amber coral. It ismy grandfather, brought back now by daycleantide, having set his body to sea since time. Laid out on the shore, a shimmering shellof the sea's patience. Still in his blind-whitecatechist's gown, now all laced with seaweed,coral has joined his legs together, cakedhis greying hair. Plump eyes closed with two bright stones. All on shore rejoice my find—the braiders,the Rastas, the cigar sellers, the lovers.We smoke spliffs from pages of the Bible,first Peter, then Matthew, then all of Psalms.We crouch under casuarinas (praise these trees older than hotels) and hold a meditation:how to give a father back to Creation. [End Page 432] Christian Campbell Christian Campbell, resident of the Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago, read for the M. Phil. in English at Balliol College, Oxford University, as the 2002 Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholar and recently completed the Ph. D. degree in English at Duke University. He is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Franklin & Marshall College. During the 2008 fall term, he will join the English faculty at the University of Toronto. Copyright © 2008 Charles H. Rowell

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