Poetry: Anoucheka Gangabissoon

The Island of Flavours

Mauritius is like a huge connected town

In the middle of the Indian Ocean,

It being so open and welcoming

Not only to its inhabitants

But to people coming to visit it

From the rest of the world!

We do have borders, towns and villages here

But it makes no difference whether you

Are in the northern part of the island

Or in the south

As the smiles, the twinkling of eyes

And the warmth is the same!

Seafood abounds and the people enjoy

Nights out eating fresh fish, crabs

Or even lobsters cooked in several ways

By local fishermen on the open beaches,

Under the light of the stars and that of the moon!

Each and every man who lives here

Has bells of faith ringing in his heart,

Each in his own way

As the various forms of God

Are all revered

Regardless of what name is given to Him!

And here, feelings of solidarity and companionship

Laugh all day long

As if they were the island's monarch

Making us all feel like

We are safe,

Even in the difficult times that we are living in!

But my favourite flavour,

That which I indulge in and still crave for more

Every single day

Is the mystical aura with which the island is dressed!

Here, there is the story of a blessed lake,

Inhabited by divine fairies

Who turned a milkman  into a mountain!

Yes,

Here, there are tales of werewolves, so different

From those told elsewhere

But so unique to Mauritius

And here,

Lies the power of the Mother Goddess

As she sits in a temple in the south,

Where we flock to,

Each time we can

To ask for forgiveness, for guidance

And for boons!

Why,

The island is multicultural

And so is its indigenous flavour

Blessed do I consider myself

To have birthed in such a place

And someday, I know,

As I shall fly to the other worlds

I shall look back, feel the hurt of separation

And miss,

This beautiful place!

Anoucheka Gangabissoon is a Primary School Educator in Mauritius.  She writes poetry and short stories as hobby.  She considers writing to be the meaning of her life as she has always been influenced by all the great writers and wishes to be, like them, immortalized in her words.  Her works can be read on poetrysoup.com and she had also appeared in various literary magazines like SETU, Different Truths, Dissident Voice, In Between Hangovers Press, WISH Press, Tuck’s Magazine, Blue Mountain Review, among others.  She has also been published in Duane’s Poetree and also in two anthologies for the Immagine and Poesia group.  Her poems are often placed in free online contests.  She has been selected to be among the Most Influential Women in Mauritius for the 2017 category Arts and Culture and she has also been awarded as a Promising Indian for the year 2017 for the same category.  In 2018 and 2019, she was again selected to be among the Most Influential Women of the island for her contribution to the literary field and in 2019, she was one of the three nominees for the National Awards organized by the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius.

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Local 2020 :: Setu, June 2020