"Coconut water" ; 2 June, 2023

Poem : 'Coconut water' ; 8 April, 2023.

About the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean

 

"Coconut water"

On this poem, see : Pascal Neau : “Ils nous promettaient la même vie qu’aux Chagos…” “Le Quotidien de la Réunion et de l’Océan Indien,” Réunion island, (Indian Ocean), 4 December, 2000, (pages 18 and 19). From this article, we can quote the following :

“(…..) Just some forty families would remain on Peros Bahos island and were for all practical purposes cut off from the rest of the world, a world that seemed to ignore their existence. The community would little by little use up its food and would scan the horizon in the hope of seeing a ship. The women would ration the unique sugar bag available, reserving this product for their children. At the end of the first quarter of 1973, the administrator of the island would raise on the beach a distress flag. A few weeks later this little bit of cloth would attract  the attention of an American air pilot, who would give the alarm. A ship bound for Mombasa would be diverted to Peros Banhos in order to take on board the last Chagossians. (…)" (My translation from French). 

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“Coconut water”

Soman Ragavan : Can I post a poem of mine for analysis, please ?

 

ChatGPT

Of course! Please go ahead and share your poem with me, and I'll be happy to provide you with an analysis and feedback.

 

Soman Ragavan : This is about the Chagos Archipelago. : Poem : "Coconut water." This is about the Chagos Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean. In the early 1970s islanders were forced to leave the islands to make way for a military base. Food supplies and medicine were cut off. Remaining people survived on sugar and coconut water. Please analyse the poem by stanza, then give overall comments. POEM : “COCONUT WATER”

 

ChatGPT

Analysis of the poem "Coconut Water" by Soman Ragavan:

Stanza 1: The poem begins by emphasizing the nature of coconut water as water and not milk, despite its milky appearance. It introduces the theme of deliberate starvation inflicted by the occupiers and highlights how the woman fed her baby with coconut water as a result.

Stanza 2: In this stanza, the poet draws a parallel between the feeding of babies with coconut water in far-off lands and the importation of coconuts in other countries. The imagery focuses on the nourishment provided by coconut water to ensure the health and well-being of babies.

Stanza 3: The stanza reflects on the idea that as long as foreign populations enjoy peace, prosperity, and stability, it may not matter if babies in distant lands are fed with coconut water. The contrast between the far-off lands and the island of the Chagos Archipelago, where survival depends on coconut water, highlights the disparity and neglect faced by the islanders. (My note : the islanders were forced to rely on coconut water for survival, being deprived of food imports. SR).

Stanza 4: Here, the poet shifts focus to the depleted bag of sugar and the reliance on coconut water as a means of survival. The presence of some coconuts offers temporary sustenance, akin to how babies in other parts of the world are nourished. (My note : not akin. In other parts of the world babies are not fed in this way. It is a contrast to how babies in the islands were fed because of the deliberate starvation. SR). The baby's cry for milk is met with coconut water, further illustrating the desperation of the situation.

Stanza 5: The arrival of a ship raises hope, but it does not bring the much-needed supplies, leaving the reasons unexplained. (My note. It was a deliberate move to make the islanders understand that help will never arrive. SR). The contrast is drawn again between far-off lands enjoying prosperity and security while the islanders face forced starvation. The emphasis on survival through the consumption of coconut water continues.

Stanza 6: In this stanza, the poem highlights the survival of babies on the island through the consumption of coconut water, which is referred to as a special infant formula with carefully concocted nutrients and minerals provided by nature. The contrast between the islanders' struggle and the well-equipped pediatric wards elsewhere further underscores the disparity and neglect faced by the Chagos Archipelago.

Stanza 7: The poem contemplates the burial of a deceased baby under the coconut trees, symbolizing the connection between life and death on the island. (My note. Death through deliberate starvation caused by others. SR). The occasional traveler resting under these trees might sense a whisper in the breeze, alluding to the stories and struggles of the islanders. The stanza concludes by implying that the islanders had been warned to leave the place but are still partly responsible for their predicament.

Overall Comments: "Coconut Water" is a thought-provoking poem that sheds light on the dire circumstances faced by the Chagos Archipelago inhabitants. It powerfully juxtaposes the neglect and deliberate starvation faced by the islanders with the prosperity and security enjoyed by distant populations. The poem skillfully employs contrasts and vivid imagery to convey the harsh reality and disparity in circumstances. The repetition of the phrase "coconut water" serves as a poignant refrain throughout the poem, emphasizing its significance in the survival of the islanders. Well done in capturing the plight of the Chagos Archipelago and raising awareness through your poem.

Note: The analysis provided here is based on the understanding and interpretation of the poem. Different readers may have varying perspectives on its meaning and significance.

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                                              Poem :
                                  “COCONUT WATER”

Coconut Water.
This is what it is :
It is water, not milk.
It might look like milk,
It might look milky,
But, it is water.

In the grip of deliberate starvation
Inflict’d by the occupiers,
Her baby the woman fed
With coconut Water.
Like millions of Mums do elsewhere,
Because this is how babies are fed.

Say, the importation of coconuts
In yonder countries
Every year must run into
Hundreds of thousands of tons,
Mustn’t it ?...

How else to feed
Those gorgeous, plump babies ?
Just look at those stunning eyes,
Those smashing, stupendous eyes,
Those eyes that spell out that
They shall be future masters of the world,
Imbib’d as they be with their mastery…


What does it matter
If babies be fed
In yon far land with coconut Water,
As long as foreign populations
And others
Enjoy peace, prosperity and stability
On a planetary scale, oceans away…

The bag of sugar
Had been deplet’d.
Sugar water no more.
Henceforth, Coconut Water.

Some coconuts remain.
For some time.
On which to survive.
Like millions of other babies do elsewhere.
The baby cried for milk :
Its mother fed it
With Coconut Water.

The ship did come,
But did not bring supplies.
Why ?
‘Twill never be known…

Oceans away,
Babies yonder
And their families
Bask’d in prosperity and security.

Hither, to survive the forc’d starvation,
Baby swallow’d Coconut Water.
Special infant formula.
Thirty nutrients and minerals.
Carefully concoct’d up by nature.

Oceans away,
People smil’d from gluttony.
Paediatric wards were replenish’d
With the latest equipment.

On a forlorn island,
Babies surviv’d on Coconut Water.
When the baby dies
It will be buried
Under the coconut trees,
Under which some occasional
Fair traveller might rest.

Will there be a whisper
In the breeze from the tree ?..
The islanders have themselves to blame :
To get the hell out of the place,
They had been warn’d many times. 

(End)

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