Poetry, words of wisdom from the pilgrimage of Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, you might remember him as a political activist, attorney-at-law in training and a writer. Today he released his second major publication, a book of poems entitled ‘Panning to Perfection-A Poetic Pilgrimage’. Rodriguez says that his book is about his path to self-perfection. Rodriguez’s book is a portal into his experiences from Belize to Guyana.
Norman Rodriguez, Author
“I was a stranger here and the only reason why I did not blow my top and didn’t send this guy into the sky. Quietly I wondered how this taxi man could be so mean anger welling up my thoughts of how he’d rob me clean. He took me down a dark and beaten down horse track, smiled wickedly, held out his hand and said ‘hey I’m Jack’.”
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Friends, colleagues and well-wishers gathered for the launch of Norman Rodriguez’s fifth book. As he made his way onto the platform, Rodriguez was garbed in full regalia reminiscent of middle-eastern biblical times. He says his outfit is symbolic to his book, which is a literary chronicle of his journey, one he compares to Moses:
Norman Rodriguez
“A poetic pilgrimage, I thought about Moses going into the wilderness going in to be honed, to be shaped, to be made complete. And this book represents my last move before perfection, if I don’t write perfect poetry after this, I won’t write again.”
Rodriguez’s ‘Panning To Perfection’ covers a broad range of themes from love to politics. However, his lyrics are woven by the inspiration he gets from his child, dedicating his poetic pilgrimage in her honor:
Norman Rodriguez
“The first one would be God right; you’ll always find a poem about God or relating to God or religion as the first poem in my book. You’ll find at least five or six through-out any book. Love would definitely be one. I have written, I’ve published a book on love just love, the theme of love before. The social issues that affect out country, the killing, AIDS, all these social ills you’ll find come out in my poetry so that alone takes it across a wide spectrum.”
Andrea Polanco
“I usually ask writers, poets, what’s your favorite piece in the book so far?”
Norman Rodriguez
“I think it’s ‘Little Super Woman’ because that relates to my daughter and having had chance to father a daughter I realize not just how meaningful it is, but how much I have to give into a relationship with my own daughter so I represented her in this book even at the back you’ll see. But that’s what it means for me you know.”
Excerpts from several poems were read by grass roots , political and media personalities.
Jah Seed, Poet
“No rules of engagement, no planned deployment, no brother by your side not even armament, just a wall in which from sunrise to sun down in which you live by the gun and die by the gun.”
Wayne Usher
Wayne Usher, Councilor
“From birth to sunset, it’s you who is there tirelessly, an inspiration, God’s gift to me eternally. And bound to be throughout the eternity the power which stands beside me, Super Woman.”
William Neal, Media Personality
William Neal
“If you decide to open the folder name ‘Grandpa’s File’ I promise you’ll see Grandpa dressed in various styles but do open ‘Microsoft Word’ then write ‘Grandpa I like’ then right click, look up and you’ll see grandpa sitting with his classing old walking stick.”
‘Panning to Perfection- A Poetic Pilgrimage’ is available for sale online at www.belizeanartwork.com for twenty dollars. In the upcoming weeks the book will also be on sale on Amazon.com. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
If you’d like more information on the poetry book you can call the author at 602-0675 or the Publisher Tiffany Simpson at 607-1088.
