Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Susan Goffe's enchantingly seductive and extremely suggestive poem 'Lifted Up' caused even the most prudish of listeners to salivate at this year's Calabash Literary Festival, held at Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth.

The Jamaicans for Justice advocate opened her mouth and successfully caressed the sexual instincts of women with the lines, "When was the last time you were with a man who worshipped your body?"

"I mean really worshipped your body," she repeated to the hungry literary crowd, anxious not to allow emcee Denise Hunt to throw her off the stage.

Susan Goffe without any qualms, spoke of a man capable of approaching a woman's body with all the passion of a clap-hand church, "Whose eyes and heart opened with wonder and awe". A man who enters into your gates with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise.

By the time Goffe got to the last two lines, where the man was about to sip wine from her holy communion cup, and lift her up in rapture, the emcee stopped her in her tracks, and, her two minutes weren't up.

However, Outlook Magazine was able to see the end of the masterpiece, with Goffe, declaring, "This is church, my sister, my brother, and you can shout, amen, again and again.

It came as no surprise that a dreadlocked poet by the name of 'Ras Hoilette' came after her and all he could get out in the beginning were the words, "Oh, ah, oh, ah, oh, oh, ah, aah, ah!"

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com