De Stichting ArchipelpoëZie [The Archipel Poetry Foundation] will unveil a wall poem by Derek Walcott, on Friday, March 21, 2014, on the corner of Javastraat and Alexanderplein in The Hague, the Netherlands. See poem and program below:

“Midsummer, Tobago”

Broad sun-stoned beaches.

White heat.
A green river.

A bridge,
scorched yellow palms

from the summer-sleeping house
drowsing through August.

Days I have held,
days I have lost,

days that outgrow, like daughters,
my harbouring arms.

Program includes:

16:00 Arrival of guests, music

16:30 Official opening and welcoming speech: Ruth van Rossum, chairwoman of Stichting ArchipelpoëZie

Short speeches by:

Michiel van Kempen (professor by special appointment for Dutch-Caribbean Literature, University of Amsterdam) about Derek Walcott’s visit to The Netherlands for the first Cola Debrot lecture

Ida Does, filmmaker and director of the documentary Poetry is an Island: Derek Walcott

Joost Dekker, designer and typographer of the new Diamant [Diamond] font, which will be used for the wall poem

Marc Prins, Director of the City of The Hague Central District

Unveiling ceremony: His Excellency Dr. Ernest Hilaire (High Commissioner for Saint Lucia to the United Kingdom) and The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, His Excellency Mr. Mathias Voges

17:05 Cocktails, music

18:00 End of festivities

For original post, see http://caraibischeletteren.blogspot.nl/2014/03/gedicht-walcott-onthuld-in-den-haagpoem.html