My Poetry Corner August 2026 features the poem “As New and As Old (I)” from the poetry collection Poems of Affinity 1978-80 by Guyanese poet Martin Carter (1927-1997), published by Release Publications (Guyana, 1980). He is regarded as the finest of all Guyanese poets.

Carter was born in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana), to middle-class parents of mixed African, Amerindian, and Portuguese ancestry. His father, a civil servant and avid reader, introduced him to a love of books and philosophy. His mother imbibed in him a love of poetry.

In his early twenties, he became a member of the anti-colonialist political party, founded in 1950. His early poetry reflects his concern about the human condition and freedom from colonial oppression. In “Tomorrow and the World,” published in 1951 (Footnote 1), he expresses his joy of being one with people on the streets and sharing their hope for a better world.

In verse one of four he writes: I am most happy / as I walk the seller of sweets says “friend” / and the shoemaker with his awl and waxen thread / reminds me of tomorrow and the world.

The political party’s gains towards self-governance were short-lived. In 1953, British troops landed and the British governor suspended the newly inked constitution. Together with other political leaders of the party, the poet-politician was arrested and interred at the British/American airbase for three months.

After his release in 1954, Carter published his renowned collection, Poems of Resistance from British Guiana. These poems reflect the anxiety of the times from oppression, fear, and bloodshed. In the poem “This Is the Dark Time My Love” (F2), he writes in verse two of three: This is the dark time, my love. / It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. / It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery. / Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious.

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