Seychelles Suite

Jeanette Larue, Coordinator of Environmental Education for the Seychelles Ministry of Education and Youth, writes: Seychelles is a group of 115 small
islands scattered in the Indian Ocean. As we are surrounded by the sea and our economy depends so much on marine resources, marine education is very
important. Each year, our nation celebrates SUBIOS, a festival of underwater
film and photography (www.subios.com), during which we also hold a
writing and art competition for our schoolchildren. Here are some poems from
past festivals, written by the young people of Seychelles.


Sirens
Noella Mussard, 19, Seychelles Polytechnic

Listen to the sound of my music, of my song:
Symphony of the cetacean mammals,
Merging with the steady flow of tides.
Listen to the sound of my music, of my laughter:
Cheerful and full of mirth,
Blending with the gentle sway of waters.

Listen to the sound of the sea:
A body sleek and firm, yet so smooth.
Come in sulphur, white, pink, or spotted.
Come in river or sea.
Listen to the sound of the waves,
Listen how it howls, how it crashes,
A massive streamlined body
Penetrating the icy, inky, stilled surface.

Listen to the sound of my moaning, of my despair:
Yearning for my birthright freedom,
Desire to swim, to play,
Hope to uncover my once vast home.
Listen to the sound of my cry, that heart-piercing sound.
A body so big, yet so harmless.
The chilling sound of spears, harpoons
Slicing through the air and plunging into flesh,
Turning the once magnificent blue sea
Into a darkening crimson tide.

Listen to the sound of my music, of my song:
Through the mist
Rises the sun.

Listen to the sound of my music, of my laughter:
Through the turmoil
Birth takes place.

Listen to our sirens.