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Literature, PoetrySeptember 23, 2014

Song for Gaboo

Gaboo

Photo via John Robert Lee

for Gaboo, music man

1948-2014

You were our first star
maestro of Broglie Street
your piano flourishes cascading down the evening —
and all those escapades
all those capsules of remembrances
turning up childhood sidewalks;

the old school room is still there, greening
near the square belfry and same dilapidated cemetery;
wise ghosts of our teachers
are scouting the yard for you,
you, re-arranging their overtures,
playing down the tracks,
skanking your own riddim;

Why does news of your death surprise me music man,
surprise me with my love for you
my first star, my-mate,
Gabriel Mondesir?

~ John Robert Lee

John Robert Lee is a writer of prose, poetry, journalism; a librarian; and a former radio and television broadcaster. His latest publications are  ‘elemental: new and selected poems,  1975-2007’ ( Peepal Tree Press, 2008), ‘Sighting and other poems of faith’ (Mahanaim, 2013) and ‘Bibliography of St. Lucian Creative writing: 1948-2013’ (Mahanaim, 2013). His bibliography of Caribbean literature is available here.

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Caribbean writersJohn Robert LeePoem of the Weekpoetry

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One last love letter...

April 24, 2021

It has taken us some time and patience to come to this decision. TMS would not have seen the success that it did without our readers and the tireless team that ran the magazine for the better part of eight years.

But… all good things must come to an end, especially when we look at the ever-expanding art and literary landscape in Pakistan, the country of the magazine’s birth.

We are amazed and proud of what the next generation of creators are working with, the themes they are featuring, and their inclusivity in the diversity of voices they are publishing. When TMS began, this was the world we envisioned…

Though the magazine has closed and our submissions shuttered, this website will remain open for the foreseeable future as an archive of the great work we published and the astounding collection of diverse voices we were privileged to feature.

If, however, someone is interested in picking up the baton, please email Maryam Piracha, the editor, at maryamp@themissingslate.com.

Farewell, fam! It’s been quite a ride.

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