A Tribute

People often ask me why I always prefer to write
Not under my own name, but that of Ency Whyte
And this question often takes me back in time
To childhood moments that are the theme of this rhyme.

My maternal grandfather was he, Norman Charles White
And as a tribute to his legacy, this verse I will recite
So that those questioning minds who read my poetry
Will know the tale of ‘Ency Whyte’ and what it means to me.

Of course, he was my granddad, but also so much more
For he taught me the lessons I would need to know
If I were to carry on with his penchant for writing
And for the English language pursue my liking.

Balmy summer nights are still a vivid memory
And how wondrous, for four young lads, it used to be
As we’d sit on his stomach and regale in tales of a child
Who’d put “ants in dhobi’s pants”, and all pranks wild.

Schooling, for him, was not much joy or fun
And by Grade Eight, with St Bede’s, he was done
But such was his love for grammar, its syntax and structure
That studying and teaching it, gave him much pleasure.

Though long ago, I sill remember one rather informal class
When I learnt how a sentence and its syntax I could parse.
And since then, for me, the English language has been so much fun
That with its intricate nuances I am not yet done.

Poetry he enjoyed and he often loved to recite
The poems that he would at his desk, passionately write
Each occasion, each milestone, each event in his time
Warranted the legacy of a verse, a tale in a rhyme.

Perhaps watching him put his pen to paper
Has allowed me to see how words can caper
And bring a smile to the reader’s lips
As with their twist and turns, he comes to grips.

And when I began to show some serious intent
Of writing and pursuing this inherited poetic bent
I thought of how I could pay tribute to the legacy
Of “N C White”, his ideals, his deeds, and his memory

For with two daughters who had been married
This popular name in Arkonam would, with him, be buried
So I asked myself how I could in my own way salute
And to this influential figure continue to pay tribute.

And so, I strive to do and continue with what he did best
Play with language, with words and put them to the test
And that is why under this pseudonym, today I write
So that I can carry on his legacy with “Ency Whyte.”