"Two Countries Speak: Poems and Remembrances" is a rendition of poems and reminiscences showcasing author Joyce P. Nightingale-Holder's early life in Barbados and her current experiences in America. BLINDFOLDS We wear our blindfolds, Blindfolds of many colors. Like sunglasses of convenience, With tinted lenses fashioned to our fancy That sometimes hide what's painful to acknowledge. From time to time Conscience removes the blindfolds And therein lies the book. The book of fears and prejudices The book of challenges Bigger than friends, Bigger than family, The book of self A workbook we all must engage Each day, every day. Do we dare show The pages of our foibles? And stand exposed for prying eyes to witness Can we be bold and shift the paradigm? Or put the blindfolds on and walk away Will we accept discomfort to know "truth," Or will we stay within the realm of familiar?