An Adoration of the Black Goddesses of Music

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If I were a woman, I would want George Elliott Clarke to sing my praises and Ricardo Scipio to capture my form with his camera. Alas, I am a man and have the same wish! Elliott's collection of poems was penned in the tropical paradise of Barbados. There is definitely the smell of rum and the taste of molasses in these poems.

George Elliott's new book of poetry, Illuminated Verses, is a collection of praise songs to Black female muses who infuse the poet with moments of delight and wonderment. Scipio's images act as a landscape to the poet's "wordscape," and the admixture creates a delectable form of sights and sounds. The combination produces a beautiful melody in the spheres.

The poems are lyrical and create a gustatory sensation like syrup. The rhythms are dizzying and intoxicating with a tinge of bacchanalian revelry. …