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Poetry by Adonal Foyle
TAGS: Adonal Foyle Poetry, Sutra Poetry, Adonal Foyle
Orlando Sentinel Coverage: Adonal Foyle hosting party on Friday to benefit his foundation

A warm spring night in Orlando, two friends sit and enjoy a glass of cabernet overlooking Lake Concord and the downtown skyline; they talk about life, politics, the community and travels. Yatin enjoys chatting with someone of such great culture, intelligence and humility. Adonal Foyle is not only a great ambassador of the game of professional basketball, but a valued asset to his community.

T he former NBA star and now the director of player development for the Orlando Magic, Adonal Foyle, is a man of many talents. Adonal grew up on the small island of Canouan, in the Caribbean. He would do his homework at night by the light of a kerosene lamp, which was a very precious and expensive commodity. Every moment he spent studying by the lamp was important in more ways than one.

After he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ivy League School of Colgate College, Adonal was selected in the first round (8th pick overall) of the 1997 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. With 10 seasons under his belt, he was the Warriors' all-time leading shot blocker with 1,140 blocks. He is also the only player in Warriors history to have over 3,000 career blocks and over 1,000 career blocked shots. He went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic for three more seasons. He has always been known amongst his peers as a team leader and mentor. In 2003, Adonal started his Kerosene Lamp Foundation to empower youth to grow into healthy and well-educated adults. He fondly remembers back to his days of learning by the lamp, and wants to continue to share the light to young adults in need of mentoring, education, and good decision making.

Adonal is not only great at shooting hoops, he is also an accomplished poet. He says, ‘writing poetry is a very important part of my life. I use poetry to capture my emotions and chronicle my life.” Over that glass of cabernet a few months back, while listening to Adonal recite one of his latest poems with such eloquence and profound clarity; Yatin had a request. Yatin asked if Adonal would study his photographs, and write some poems that would represent what Adonal saw in the pictures. Adonal has taken his own passion for poetry, and written about his interpretation of what he sees in Yatin’s pictures.



Come and get it! Come and get it!
A ripened mango, a heap of potatoes, a bunch of grapes.
Only 10 rupees, only five rupees.
Come and get it! Come and get it!



I peep through the window, and saw the plight of my people.
My heart cries, the cry of shame, of anger, of love.
I peep through the window and saw God.



Gossip is the free exchange of stories between people.
Dirt is the most exotic of ingredients.



Three bicycles against the wall.
As if to say we have honor here.
Three bicycles against the wall.
As if to say we valued our freedom.
Three bicycles against the wall.
As if to say we are a community there.



To be regal or royal can be achieved through hard work.
If I must iron, I must commit to it all the way, a queen is still a queen.



Four doors stand before me.
And I can’t determine which to enter.
I stand and ponder life’s choices.



Through the lenses of time, the artist sees himself.
The guardian of history nourished the frailty of tomorrow.
No matter the place, the mission never changes.



How does one define loneliness?
Is it the pondering of our thoughts, confines of space or the
longing to say how you feel to another?