112 contemporary poetry
In another poem, ‘Rapid Rapping’, Zephaniah gives thanks to
poet precursors, as well as emphasising the importance of poetry’s
history as an oral performance and viewing history as an oral narra-
tive. Far from ‘playing mystic’, Zephaniah insists that poetry was
oral and approachable, ‘something dat people understood’ (p. 39 ).
As an ethnopoetics, ‘Rapid Rapping’ tells how ‘Poetry was living
in every neighbourhood / Story telling was compelling listening,
an entertaining’ (p. 39 ). He lists in his rapping poetic predeces-
sors who include ‘Linton Kwesi Johnson and de Brother Martin
Glynn... Jean Binta Breeze speaks wid ease so don’t feget de
name’ (p. 39 ). Moreover, he acknowledges a debt to ‘Mutabaruka,
Oku Onuora, John Agard an Grace Nichols / All people who are
capable an dey hav principles’ as presenting work which ‘pave
de way, yu see / Long time agu before de book existed’ (p. 39 ).
This suturing between a combative tradition and more main-
stream assertion is evident in Zephaniah’s gesture to perform-
ance as a site of restitution and reconciliation. The implications
of this healing are evident in Zephaniah’s desire to create poetry,
as he puts it in ‘Dis poetry’, which ‘goes to yu / WID LUV’
(p. 13 ).
THE POET PERFORMER: DRAMA AND COMEDY IN PAUL
DURCAN AND DON PATERSON
The perception of the poet as one who articulates through differ-
ent masks or personas is intrinsic to an idea of performance and
poetry. This sense of a dramatic narrative is key to understanding
the poetry of Paul Durcan. As Kathleen McCracken Gahern sug-
gests, Durcan acts as a mediator of characters and voices, fulfi lling
a traditional role for the poet as humourist and chronicler:
Durcan’s poetry is essentially dramatic. It is comprised of
monologues and duologues, brief or connected scenarios
complete only when they are spoken, or ‘performed.’ Durcan
is akin to the early Irish fi li or bard in that he is a maker and
an entertainer, a satirist and an historian. He acts as a com-
municator through which the thoughts and experiences of