Martin Carter Poetry

Martin Wylde Carter (1927–1997) was a celebrated Guyanese poet and political activist known for his revolutionary verse and advocacy for social justice. Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, Carter’s work, including Poems of Resistance from British Guiana (1954), voiced the struggles against colonial oppression.

Imprisoned twice by British authorities, he used poetry as a tool for protest and empowerment. Over his career, he published collections like Poems of Succession and Poems of Affinity. Honored with the Order of Roraima in 1994, Carter remains a key figure in Caribbean literature, symbolizing resistance, reflection, and cultural pride.

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Looking At Your Hands

‘Looking At Your Hands’ urges the importance of human empathy and solidarity in resisting and transcending injustice.

Plenty of poems illustrate and express a desire to change the world yet few deal with the topic so convincingly as this poem by Martin Carter. Without being either trite or naive, the speaker conjures several archetypal images that are meant to inspire and visualize that change: from a mythic search for fire to an idealized representation of literary knowledge. Yet the immediate goal of this individual is to identify themselves to people like the listener who are fellow dreamers, revealing the importance of collective resistance.

No!

I will not still my voice!

I have to much to claim

If yo see me looking at books

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