Women Do This Every Day: Selected Poems of Lillian Allen

Sheila Martindale is poetry editor of Canadian Author and Bookman and
author of No Greater Love.

Lillian Allen is one of the original “dub poets” in Canada. These
Caribbean writers and performers, in the manner of reggae musicians,
utilize the dialects of the West Indies to make a very distinctive
sound. Their work includes protest pieces and poems of celebration; a
live performance is a wonderful thing to behold.

Allen recognizes the difficulty of anchoring this kind of work on the
page. When the words are made intelligible to the non–West Indian,
something of the vibrancy and immediacy of the language is lost. Despite
this, the flavor and the passion come through. Allen addresses the
struggles and hardships not only of the Island women and immigrants, but
also of South African blacks and Canadian aboriginal people. On the
whole, then, the tone is angry or sad. (There are exceptions, such as a
couple of very fine pieces celebrating jazz musicians, where we can
almost touch the cascade of beautiful notes.) The title poem, short
enough to be quoted in full, gives a sense of Allen’s handling of
feminist and social-justice issues: “Nine months outa de year / a
woman in labour / if it was a man / a bet they woulda paid her.”
“Women Do This Every Day” is, however, not typical of this poet’s
work, which relies heavily on repetition for emphasis.

Those who read this book without having heard a “dub” performance
could be disappointed. You need to hear the rhythm and cadence of the
spoken/sung/chanted words to experience their power.