Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

“A Breath of Fresh Air: Poems of Encouragement and Inspiration” is the work of Bernard Bharat, who began writing the poems after recovering from total memory loss in 2013. The book contains almost 200 poems, which draw on the author’s life experiences and those of his family.

The poems speak directly to the reader, covering topics such as depression, heartbreak, poverty, crime, nature, freedom, young people and life and death, to name a few. Bharat said his inspiration comes from God, who gives him insight on a daily basis, which leads to the creation of a poem. “After my memory loss, I communicated with my family through writing. Although I was up and about, my memory was totally gone, I didn’t know anyone, and in the conversation with them, sometimes the answer might be in my head but it wouldn’t come out of my mouth, and so I would write.”
Bharat said he is not speaking to anyone in particular when he writes, but God gives him inspiration. “That is how it has been ever since this, well you can say unfortunate incident, but I call it fortunate because I’m able to share, because I never wrote anything before and in the wake of this occurrence, this has happened.”
In 2000, Bharat was diagnosed with Spinal Cord disorder, eventually becoming partially blind and bedridden. After 11 surgeries, he has recovered his eyesight and ability to walk, but has been permanently medically retired. He insists he does not miss the world of work. “I may not have a conventional job, but I’m working for God, so every day, while I may not go to an office, I’m home here, I’m writing a poem.”
Bharat is supported by his wife Sheree and their two children, Darius and Letisha. Sheree said their plan is to begin a support group and other initiatives to assist people with Spinal Cord injuries, whether with fundraising, assistance with correspondence, counselling or emotional and mental support. She said often people who find themselves in these situations may be stressed because they do not know who to turn to for help, and she wants to help them with that.
Bharat said when most people think of support, they think of financial support, but he would like to encourage people by sharing his experience with them. “I think I am able to speak with someone and bring them out of a negative feeling and where you can give them that hope to say I may not have everything that I want, but while things may seem gloomy, they may not be as gloomy as all of that.”
He also said he hopes the book positively affects those who read it, as it draws on things from his personal experiences and the struggles the family has undergone. “I want it to touch them and they would get a message from it, that it’s speaking to them through God.”
Bharat said the three words he lives with on a daily basis are Faith, Belief and Acceptance. He said too often people only focus on the negative in any situation they’re going through, instead of acknowledging the positive. “You must have the faith, you must have that belief, we must accept that something has happened and move on from there. Let us rise beyond that, we leave it with God and we leave it in ourselves, let us believe that we shall do it in God’s mercy and his grace, we must believe that we can do it and we have to try.”
The book will be launched at NALIS, Port of Spain on August 13 at 2 pm. It is also available online on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For more information call 620-7836 or email shereeann_bharat@hotmail.com