Gertie Banton

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Gertie was born on the picturesque island of Jamaica. She was educated at the Springfield Moravian School in St. Elizabeth. This is where she got her start in the arts, because her greatest pleasure in school was writing, performing, and singing. After leaving school, she went to St. James, Montego Bay to work. It wasn't long after that she went to London, England to study nursing. After graduation, she worked in England for 13 years as a nurse. In 1965, Gertie Banton travelled to Canada, in search of new adventure. Then she made Canada her home. Since coming to Canada, she has also studied music, plays the guitar, and has recorded two songs. Above all, her greatest pleasure is writing poetry which is based on love. "For God," she says, "has given us many things to love." One of her most famous works is "What Is Love? a Collection of Thoughts and Poems," published in 1991 by Watermark Press. Gertie's most recent collection of poems is entitled "The Imaginary Flight To Nowhere," which was first published in 1994 and reprinted in 1995. Other works were published by Share newspaper in Canada and the Jamaica Gleaner. Gertie presently continues her efforts to make a contribution, with her insights of the world.

Click here to listen to Young and Beautiful

Young and Beautiful
When I was young and full of life, When I was young and starry eyed
Bouncing along all the boys on the street
All the boys I would meet whistled at me
I was like a sweet and juicy apple in their eyes
I could see their faces every time I passed them by
Lining up every evening hoping to be lucky
Each one wants a date with me so much, so much, you are so beautiful
When you're young and in your prime
You are so beautiful, when you're young it's your time
You think the world owes you something, but the world owes you nothing
You owe the world each day and every night
It's so wonderful, so wonderful, the life you share
I'm getting old and feeble now, and no one's whistling any more
Whistling at me when I walk down the street, not the way it used to be,
I can remember just my lonely kettle when I make a cup of tea
Steaming up the water it's whistling at me
Everything is so different with the past and present
Don't know where the nice guys have all gone, all gone

Trees
The trees shed their leaves in the fall to make room for the winter. Now that the winter is coming to a close, the trees are shooting forth new leaves to show that summer is nigh. Therefore, what lesson do we learn from the trees?
The trees are a tonic to us if we can understand their sweet and sour life. We can also understand a little more about ourselves.
When the winter comes, we as human beings have to wear warm clothing to keep the body temperature from falling. But the trees have no protection. They go through the winter and snow without leaves.
Now that the spring is here with fresh ideas to make the trees look beautiful, new sets of leaves are preparing to meet the summer with the sun and blue sky, where the birds make music all day long, singing, "Where have you been so long? I've been in the south from the winter."
Learning fresh songs to cheer my friends of the green wood, sweetly, sweetly, I come to trees. Oh, little ones, sleep. The trees are more beautiful to admire than some of us. The trees have branches and limbs, but some of us have no branch or limb, just like a woman without a breast.