Ah watching dem wathching me

Ah watching dem wathching me, watching dem
Whole day ah siddong, right here in meh garden
Amongst meh green peas, de ripe corn and some lettuce ah did plant last 2 weeks.
Meh wife, ah does call she doo doo already gone dong by de river to get some water an leave me in charge ah dem watless boys.

Now she already know how useless me and dem boys is when ah have to watch dem
Because is den dey know dey could carry on wid dey walle walle business and play me like a fiddle…

But dis time ah show dem who is man…me!!
Ah mek sure dey see me watching dem watching me!!

DEY playing dey marble pitch, running like horse in de savannah and when meh neighbour mr Jericho pass, dey start to trouble he about he bald patch on he head…saying how it shining in de sun, and how it looking like sunny side up eggs…and mr Jericho he, like de stupidness..go reply…with bread or cassava dumpling???

And is like when ah ketch meself dese boys an dem running riot in de place ah hah to call dem now to behave deyself like good people we is!!

Ah watching dem, watching me watching dem!!

And out ah de blue, sudden so from nowhere, ah feel me pores raise up and behind me neck feel funny all dong to me spine…ah sensation ah does when de lord ready for me.

Ah hear he call…noah boy yuh dey?!
Ah say who is dat?
Man ah ready with me garden shovel and de two by four aah have hiding in de bush..ah say and who is dat??

WELL, wen ah catch meself is me friend calling de LORD.
HE say noah..boy ting bad too bad…is time ah start over again…ah going to flood dis place and ah want you and dem boyz with you wife and anyone else to build a big boat..ark. when de flood come you go be safe in de ark..

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Counting Anansi

When anansi say so is so.
Sometimes anansi does command de attention ah de whole forest village by he laugh
By he half baked, ugly looking, teeth broken kinda smile
And everybody know wen anansi passing by dey house…
Hear him, wen all de family trying to hide from him…
Alluy hiding again!? Come out nah leh de children come ah go tell dem ah story!
Start singing, start torking, no stopping, very irritating…you have to come out…and so he say….

Anansi say-one banana is not enough
Eat too much though and yuh go be feelin real rough!
Anansi say-two guavas ripe in de tropical heat
It contain fructose not bad on de teeth
Anansi say-three star apples look how dey shine
Ah holding on to dem-cos all is mine!
Anansi say-four passion fruit running on de vine
Ah go eat it all - one after one - all in ah line
Anansi say-five sapodillas hiding in de loft
Doh leave it too long or else dey go get soft
Anansi say-six oranges hanging in de garden tree
You must know dey go give you vitamin c
Anansi say-seven ripe bananas gain
Leaving de sweet harbour ah port-ah-spain
Anansi say-eight sweet cherries in de tropical weather
Eat as many as you want you go still be lite like a feather
Anansi say-nine pineapples in de open field
As protection dey have sharp prickly edges as a shield
Then finally anansi say - ten cool Caribbean coconuts hanging on de tree
Ah go pick it for myself and off ah go flee!!

Part of de anansi collection
© 2003.

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Cricket Callaloo

De west indies cricket team dey say
Gone dong to bat in the test match dat day
And is so dey hitting ball, straight away!
But after hitting for a while and a half,
Tings start getting tough, who really had de last laugh?

Brian lara outing for so,
When de crowd jump up, is because he gone out for zero.
Dat was a ting,
Everyone start leaving,
Dey say, Lara out! De whole crowd misbelieving

People vex and start quarelling
We want we money back this test was most grueling
We have no time for losers if you please
Give we back we money or face we on your knees!

I fed up ah dese people
Who some-time-ish for so,
Never cease to amaze me
Dey only know when yuh glow

So this short message is for all dem
Who some-time-ish in dey support
Only happy and jubilant when england was caught
Den wen dey sad and cussing, is because W.I. gone for nought!!

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Friday blues

Rain was falling and everbody was inside already. 'DEM Lamps light as yet?' meh grandmodda say. We children was just bathe-ing and going inside. The sun was going dong and de place was like dusk dark. It was Friday evening and we fadda didn't come home yet. Dis moddas man doss always do dis shit' Meh mudda blasted out! He always have ah drink, den aneda one and aneda one. It was pay-day she said, so is den we children understand it. ALL DE rumshop open every Friday. (Pubs.)

We was really accustomed with this and so it was no surprise when mammy put on she dress, get she shoes on and leggo a loud steupps….'ah goin for he moddass' she shout out as she hurriedly dragged on she slippers and made way to de door. Well boy, we never see we modda so vexed yet.. we eh know if to laugh, if to cry, if to run, if to hide and we grandmodda on the other hand calling.. girl leave dat drunkard alone, when he come home we go deal wid he, doh go and embarrass yuself again!! Leave me alone! Mammy said.

Running up de hill to see if we fadda dey - we was hiding behind de big bush an ting- when all of ah sudden we hear screaming and shouting coming from inside by jack-tee rumshop! Oh god doh hit meh..alluy help, leave me alone, alluy is abuse, call de police..we never hear we fadda cry and bawl so much yet..he was shouting alluy stop meh wife…and den we see it she give him some serious kicks, like something outa ah Jackie chan movie, boy was rale thunder in he tail.

Well, after dat day he eh set ah foot outside de house again.
And meh modda she does still polish dem shoes infront ah meh fadda, everytime he say, 'ah goin out'!!

Friday blues.

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