‘Mama Lizzie’ spreading peace through poetry

Sitting on the white sands of the Buccama Bay’s resort beach, taking in the scenic view which helped to inspire her new book “Poet of the Caribbean the Musings of a Global Peacemaker,” Lizzie Davies,{{more}} affectionately referred to as Mama Lizzie, described her love of poetry and her spiritual connection to the Vincy Land to Searchlight Newspaper.

The book, “Poet of the Caribbean,” all started with a second visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where she became inspired by a captivating palm tree, atop adjoining hills in the Buccament Bay, as well as the people of the island.

Davies, originally from the United Kingdom, described herself as a “culture vulture” and a woman steeped in the arts. She, added that her specialty is performance poetry and has performed in several places in England. She however,says that she shares a special spiritual connection with the Vincy people and the land.

Davies explained that her return to St Vincent and the Grenadines was spiritually based, as she felt ‘called’ to come back to the island. Within a few days of her visit it was revealed that she was to tell her story, and she began to work on a book.

Davies also became connected with the landscape of the island, mainly the hills surrounding the Buccament Bay and specifically, a lonely tree on the hilltop. The tree, she says, assisted greatly in the writing process.

“It was the first thing that I noticed when I arrived here, and I have spent hundred of hours contemplating that hill and that tree. When I’m writing my poetry I will just mediate on that tree… so I say the tree wrote the book and I listen from the tree,” Davies said. The tree is also the subject of the poem “Vincy Vibe”, in the book.

Davies, also inspired by the people of the island, stated that it was a local worker at the Buccament Bay that gave her the name Mama Lizzie. Using her poem “Mama Lizzie” Davies described the day the name was bestowed on her.

“It’s a treasured name to me and it makes me incredibly happy to be called Mama Lizzie; it feels like who I am,” she said.

“I’ve been through hell in my life and I have been gifted in a particular way, and I take that seriously and responsilbly… use the gifts whatever God gave me to spread love and light and to make people think,” she added.

The British poet explained that she writes poetry for the soul.

“My poetry is poetry for the soul, so I’m not writing from my head. I don’t write intellectual poetry. It comes from a very deep place. So, it touches people very deeply, it does make people sometimes cry or get goose bumps. I love humour and I can be very light, but I also can be from a very deep place…” she said.

Her signature poem, “Sexy Hymn” is a piece that celebrates women, and according to Davies is a piece about self-knowledge. “If you want to know about Mama Lizzie, read ‘Sexy Hymn’,” Davies said.

Davies also lives life through her personal motto “Be Original, Be yourself” which she says encapsulates all her beliefs.

“It encapsulates all that I hold most dear, for as I see it, to be original is to be an instrument of God and the prime injunction is to know yourself. I am profoundly committed to this path of self-realization, which in essence, I have found to be the practice of deep faith, unconditional love and service to your community,” Davies said, as she read from her book.

The poet, who has a deep love for her community and promoting peace, further explained that through an initiative Global circle of peace (www.globalcircleofpeace.com) she intends to spead peace through the arts. Davies, however, stated that in order to spread peace to those around you, you must first start with yourself. “But of course you can’t promote peace from your head, you have to become peace, that is what I have to offer,” Davies said.

“People say world peace… it’ll never happen, but it’s just that they don’t want to do the work on themselves… to make peace happen… It starts with your thoughts, it’s what you say; it’s what you do.”

Davies, who is also a cult survivor, has been through many trials in her life, but decided to hold back details on that part of her life story from Searchlight, until another occasion. The book “Poet of the Caribbean” was launched at the Buccament Bay Resort on Sunday, January 29, 2012. The book is available at the Jujube Book Store in Kingstown at a cost of EC$40.