By Khaila Gentle
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 3, 2022
Fooley Me is the title of the recently published collection of poems by writer and former AMANDALA journalist Roy Davis. The collection includes poems that Davis has written over the years, spanning from the 1990s to 2020.
The Belizean poet spoke with us over the phone and shared the vast array of themes explored in the twenty-five poems featured in his book. Those themes include crime, poverty, addiction, racism, nature, and even love.
When asked whether he had a favorite poem out of the entire collection, Davis responded, with pride, “all ah dem.”
“I love all ah deh,” he added.
Included in the collection is the titular piece, “Fooley Me,” which speaks about Davis’ own personal struggle with drug addiction and how he managed to overcome it.
“Freedom” is a poem about the former journalist’s brief stint in jail, written during the 18 days when he found himself incarcerated.
Other poems include “Deception,” which focuses on racism; “Sing to Me”, a tribute to the melodic blackbird; and “Juana Maria,” a tribute to marijuana (otherwise known as Mary Jane).
In the book’s preface, Davis notes that he penned the poems in his collection to “enlighten, entertain, and be a source of wisdom to those who read them.”
As has been mentioned, Davis, who previously published a collection of original Bra Anansi and Bra Tiger stories entitled All in One, is also a former journalist and court reporter. He began writing for the Reporter in 1979, and remained there for a total of four years. Soon after, he would join the team at AMANDALA for four years before going on to do freelance work.
Fooley Me was compiled and proofread by Sean Taegar, who Davis says was instrumental in helping him put together the collection, alongside publisher Margaret Reynolds, owner of Reynolds Desktop Publishing.
When we contacted him, Davis told us that he had just recently sold his last copy of Fooley Me, but he is hoping to print more in the near future. Until then, persons interested in reading the book can visit the Leo Bradley Library, where a few copies are available.
His other book, All in One, is available for sale at The Book Center on North Front Street.