By RHONDOR DOWLAT Wednesday, March 25 2009

TRANSIT Police Corporal Philbert Lendore is a man of many hats — not only is he a former fingerprint expert in the TT Police Service but he is also an award winning poet.

Lendore was the recipient of the Editor’s Choice Award IN August 2005 for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry. He was presented with the award by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry — his winning poem “What is life” which is also featured in a Deluxe Hardbound Edition.

Lendore always liked poetry and decided to take it up as a professional hobby which he uses as an avenue to depict his life’s journey and current affairs.

In 2004, Lendore, who has been based at the Transit Police fours years now, completed a poetry course at the Manchester’s Writer’s Bureau. He also took the time to do missionary work in several churches across the United States and Africa, including Uganda, South Africa and Kenya. He is currently in the process of starting up his own Pentecostal church, Christ Resurrection Redemption Centre.

With the Fifth Summit of the Americas due to be held in this country on April 17-19 and with the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama due to visit the country, Lendore produced a poem entitled ‘That man Barack Obama: Yes We Can, Yes We Did’ — in tribute of Obama.

Born Barack Hussein Obama, to a black father from Kenya, Africa,

His mother, a white woman, born in Kansas, USA,

He, climbing up the social ladder, by dint of hard work,

Vision, dedication, determination, ambition and education,

And in the process, making history of course, by becoming the first Black African American President, of the nation.



We must remember again of course, that president Obama’s greatest achievements and accomplishments, today,

Was already prophesied years ago, by Dr Martin Luter King, another great American visionary, of yesterday,

And above all, by the strong arm of the Almighty God, who truly sees and knows all things before, or after,

And through his biblical and scriptural words, which would have us all know, that God who has his hands in the affairs of men, still take down one leader and puts up another.



We must also remember, it’s the same Martin Luther King, Slain Civil Rights Leader, who said years earlier,

That he foresaw a day in American History, when a man would not be judged ever by the colour of his skin, but rather by the content of his character.

Well, several years later, this very dream became a reality, to many,

Who did not even think that they would live to see this day, in their lifetime, really.



From the famous, I have a dream, I have a vision, speech, made one great day at the monument in Washington,

Saying that one day, black people and white people, would one day join together, for the common good of the world and the nation.

Thereby, exposing to the light, from north to south, from east to west, where the dark pocket of racism, prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry hid.

To culminating in our beloved President Obama’s speeches and mantra saying, yes we can, yes we will, and by God, to, yes, we finally did.



Nevertheless, one thing I learnt from this particular, historic, American election and event my friend,

Is that trouble does not last always, and the longest rope eventually has an end

And moreover, Tuesday 4th November, 2008, another historical chapter was written forever,

When Barack Obama became the forty-fourth President of the United States of America.



And now came the Presidential Inauguration Two Thousand and Nine,

Oh! What a spectacle, worldwide interests, awesome grandeur almost close to divine,

The President himself, proponent of bipartisanship workings, ideological nullification and political sharing,

Running on the mantra of change we nee, you President Hussein Obama, I deem you man of the moment, man of all times, truly, history in the making.



Is it so ironic that the slaves, who were once beaten, scorned, ostracised, marginalised and even refused citizenship and the right to vote in their own country,

Now have one of their own sons, living in the White House, having assumed his nation’s highest office, leadership position and Presidency,

OH! What joy, what happiness, what awesome feeling, some even shedding tears, cries,

Surely, a question of the biblical quotation which says that, “The stone that the builder’s refused is now become the headstone of the corner”, it is the Lord’s doing and surely, it is marvelous in our eyes.