Cecil Gray’s ‘Possession’

On the inside cover of the book, he wrote simply, “To – Freddie. Congrats. Cecil Oct 2009.” Everyone involved in education in the West Indies knows Cecil Gray. For the 25 years, I was at St James Government Secondary School, his English Books – Language for Living – Parts 1 to 5, were the mainstay of our English Department. After a long teaching career, he retired as the Director of the In-Service Diploma in Education Programme at the University of the West Indies in 1983.

From then on, he has devoted most of his time to writing and publishing poetry. His verses hardly ever rhyme and therein lies the beauty, the power and the glory. When once you start reading any of his books, it is difficult to put it down. The vivid imagery, original metaphors and his careful choice of words have established him as one of the Caribbean’s leading poets.

As a matter of fact, Mr Gray was awarded the Daily News prize for poetry by the Caribbean Writer in 1997. But while volumes can be written about Mr Gray’s verses by the academics, I know him best as an excellent friendly teacher, an inspirational director and an accomplished actor — excelling in every genre of theatre.

I spent one term in Mr Gray’s standard two class at Nelson Street Boy’s RC School way back in 1941, came first in test and was promoted to Standard 3. I can still remember his unforgettable performance as one of the aunts, in the all-male cast of That Hospital – written and directed by the head teacher of the school Mr Roberts. The play was presented for the public at the Empire Theatre which was on the spot – now occupied by Battoo’s Car Park on St Vincent Street.

Several years later, at my very first evening with the Nelsonians, Mr Gray was so impressed with my vocal interpretation of a convict, that he asked me to join the White Hall Players which was one of the leading theatre companies at that time. His production of Henrik Ibsen’s play – An Enemy of the People (En Folkefiende) – was already cast and I had to wait for their next presentation to make my debut on stage.

One year, the Frederick Street CYO had asked George Kangalee to direct two plays and he in turn asked me to direct one of them. I was thrilled but as I had never really directed before, I immediately sought the help of Mr Gray who gave me several hints on how to go about it.

I had the pleasure to act with my teacher in Winterset by Maxwell Anderson with Errol Hill in the leading role at the Royal Victoria Institute – now occupied by the Museum. My role called for me to struggle on stage with my body riddled with bullets, make a speech and die. Drama critic D M Searl wrote, “The exception among the gangsters was Shadow Freddie Kissoon who achieved his own death quite well.”

When the English actor, director and manager of JAP Productions, John Ainsworth, came to Trinidad in 1955 and selected his players for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Cecil Gray was cast as “Osric”. I consider myself lucky to be on the tour to Guyana and Barbados acting with such stars as Errol Hill, James King, Helen Ross, Barbara Assoon, Graham Suter, the Bentleys – Arthur and Eve, and Ainsworth himself in the title role.

A little maths tells me that my mentor should be about 86 years and for him to produce Possession with 71 poems, is truly a remarkable achievement which would be a source of inspiration to many – including me.

The poet W B Yeats (1865-1939) said, “I’m not very well today. I can only write prose.”