UNEASY RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER-for extra credit

On September 30, 2010 at 6.30 pm, I attended the poetry reading of Allison Joseph. She read poems from her book "Excerpts from my Father's Kites". Allison stated she grew up in England and had parents of Caribbean descent. She stated that her father was from Grenada and her mother was from Jamaica. Later in life they moved to the Bronx. Allision spoke much and fondly about her father even though she admitted he was much of a stranger to her. They had a uneasy relationship. His name was Everett and he did not believe in God. He liked to drink alcohol and his occupation was a salesman. She did not know what he sold but knew he bought more goods than he sold. Allison spoke of her fathers death and how she was called and notified by her fathers best friend. A man whom she would later refered to in life as uncle. Allison talked to a large, attentive audience and expelled on how funerals are really for the living. She spoke of all the funeral arrangements she and her sister had to handle while not knowing where the money was going to come from or if her father was alive if he would approve of their decisions. She remembered that many men were at the funeral most of which attended school with her father. She described them in a poem as country men, small in stature and reeking of alcohol. She also realized her dad had many women friends non of who she knew but they all seemed to know things about her. Allison read another poem entitled "This Letter is an attempt to collect a debt". In this reading she told of how her sister and herself would find many mounds of debts accumalated outside their fathers door after his death. The collectors would at first demand payment in full but commically soften their approach in order to at least recieve something. They would mention that payment arrangements would be acceptable. Allison thought it strange that demands were being placed on the dead. As she looked through her fathers belongings she found two things that she spoke of as funny to her. She found an old camera that belonged to her dad. It was not a Nikon brand nor was it a Cannon. Oddly enough the cameras name was Niconnon, meaning neither Nikon or Cannon. She also found a large bundle of birthday cards she had sent to her father over the years. They were neatly stacked together and had a rubber band around them. Allison said her first thought was that her dad does love her, he kept my cards. She the looked on the back of the envelopes and she found a long list of lottery numbers. When I arrived at the reading I felt that I was going to be bored and the time would go by slowly. I was presently suprised. The time flew by and I along with the large audience was well entertained with comedy and realism. Allison's thoughts, ideas and poems said things that others might find more difficult to express or even say at all. It reminded me of many situations with my own father an our on going uneasy relationship. Her poems showed me that just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean that someone else might. There is no reason to ban or to censor. We al lshould be thankful that we have the priviledge to read what we want and have the right to form our on decision on what we have read. Reading is knowledge and literature is art in written form. It shapes thoughts, and ideas, which in return changes lives.