More than the joy of writing, what Alain Jeannot loves the most is the human being. “I am inspired by all that touches the human being,” he reveals. A quick glimpse at his first collection of poems, Faut le dire, (It had to be said) proves the statement right. For him, writing is a way of “sharing opinions and ideas, which I believe should not be limited to a closed circle of friends and family members; writing is the best tool for extending my views and inner feelings to others,” he explains.

His book includes 26 poems in French or English, depending on the inspiration of the day. Regular readers of l’express-outlook will find in the book a number of poems that have already been published in our columns. His poems are simple, direct – with a message to make people aware of the problems society has to face as well as the value of positive values such as “friendship” or “the power of a flower”.

Alain Jeannot is not a professional writer. “Writing is my hobby, my vocation, I have no intention to forsake my no less gratifying and long career at Air Mauritius as a purser.” In his preface, Father Jocelyn Grégoire nevertheless insists that the “clever person who is able to juggle with words gives rise, even in the hearts of the most reluctant ones, to colourful emotions with various facets and forces the most restrained feelings to appear in front of realities that words unveil. With Faut le dire, Alain Jeannot proves to be one of these rare jugglers.”

If he first started by writing short articles in newspapers, Alain Jeannot seems to have a special liking for poetry, “which calls upon our emotional dimension that is often anaesthetised when issues profoundly touching our humanity are treated solely in a factual and rational way. Besides being at ease with rhyme and poetry, I aim at touching hearts and minds through this style”.

<B>Intense emotion in only a few words</B>

No doubt that poetry has this capacity of revealing intense emotion in only a few words and the style can only help the reader be more involved in the issue. “Love and live today, make it your way, and make it their day, death is only a lottery, but you have eternity, by living fully and lovingly.” These few lines from his poem Death prove this right. But these lines also show Alain Jeannot’s optimism.

Instead of seeing the dark side of death, he prefers to see the bright side of life – the present. Alain Jeannot is perfectly aware that society is not perfect but he prefers to see how this could change rather than accepting the “fate”. His ambition is to have one day a small paper that would publish only good news. In the meantime, he tries to walk his talk and engage in little initiatives aimed at bringing some light in our darkish world.

He was at the origin of a campaign in December to warn against drink driving during the festive period. Moreover, one of his poems – Drunken driving wrecks lives – denounces such abuse. “We can’t sit and hear in the trail, stricken family for years wail, drunken drivers wreck lives,” states the poem. And the author warns, at the end, “And that’s not a tale.”

This anthology of his writings of the past few years undeniably appears as one of his humble contributions to help make Mauritius a better place to live in. He firmly believes that a “good action a day keeps the devil away”. Hence, it is not surprising that the proceeds of the sale of his book will finance his occasional social activities… The book is on sale in all good bookshops at Rs 125.