Poetry

POEM OF THE WEEK

Church days

Every Sunday mi come a Sunday school

Teacher give mi golden text

Mi a just three years old, mi caan read

You know, mi nah come back

Them a give weh bread and wine

Mi a go up there go beg some

Them sey mi too young

And mi caan get none.

Mi have fi accept Jesus Christ

Go get counselling

Then go get baptise

By the time me do all that

Me dead fe hungry

Convention start and mi still deh yah

Mi get nuff food and drink

Can't complain mi belly full

But wait you hear the announcement

Christmas treat next week

That mean more cake and ice cream

Mi church bredda, mi church sista

Mi we see you next week

Pasta mi like yu tie

Tell you wife an children

That Tishan seh

Hi Hi

- Schernette Gordon

Ganja euphoria

Many of us used to scoff when Rasta tek

A puff a de good green stuff, while encouraging

Us to be religious, but back den government

Seh Rasta nuh have sense, so dem dismiss

Argument dat ganja is a religious sacrament

Babylon get scurrilous and put rasta inna

Han' cuff fi position of de good green stuff

All of a sudden everybody a attend de wedding

De hot topic in de US, Caribbean and odda tropics, dem mus hav it dis stimulant,

Criticised, ostracised, stigmatised and demonised

Rasta and many others penalised

Now dem wah decriminalised

But de profits is dem main prize

All dem a discuss head a government still fraid fi publicly tek a puff a de good green stuff

Pandemonium, farma abandon scallion and onion

A pure ganja dem wah pon de lan' fi mek money from

Some a cuss, some a rush fi put dem han pon ganja fuss

But dem still naaw discuss de benefit of a puff,

Dem only wah mek money nuff nuff

By pretending dat a dem si ganja fuss

Dem a de reincarnation of Christopher Columbus

- Junior Lloyd

Holy Easter

Yuh know when I was a little girl

Easter did celebrate like Crismus

Yes man, fish, bun and cheese was a mus,

Same holiday fuss

People use to keep di Easter holy,

Respected de Lent

Now Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday

Man a pitch up dem dance tent

My mommy use to 'ave nuff bun and cheese puddung,

So dat when friends and family come

Dem get bun wid a tups a cheese

An a dehso wi start 'ave fun.

Fry fish covered wid herbs and seasonings,

An, yes, di hot Scotchie peppa,

Bun yuh tongue an mek yu eye dem run wata.

But now time really change,

Cause di price a one bun waan rearrange,

Fish price gone sky high,

Might as well fish gather wings and fly

Now not to mention di cheese,

Yuh tun instant asthmatic an start wheeze.

Pan a serious note

Tings and time a change fi true,

But what one got to do,

Mi still buy fish, bun and cheese as mi normally do,

A try mi best to keep de Easter holy,

I hope yuh try and keep it too.

- Nickona Chung Heu

All about Easter

Easter isn't all about the bun and cheese

Neither about the Easter bunny or painted eggs

But about when Jesus was crucified on a green hill far away

We may not know, we cannot tell what pains He had to bear

But all we know is He hung and suffered there

He died that we might be forgiven

He died to make us good

That we might go at last to heaven

Where the dear Lord awaits...

- Allecia R. Hutchinson

The Easter story

For God so loved the world

That He sent his precious Son to die for me

Jesus knew his destiny, but still lived it so humbly

Through the Virgin Mary he came

If God had caused him to drop from the sky then the miracle wouldn't be the same

He walked, talked, preached and healed

But He knew at age 33, He would have to fulfill His deal

My dear Lord was crucified at the cross

For you, for me and the entire human race

So that we may be saved, in that we may choose him and have everlasting life

O dearly, dearly has He loved.

- Roshain R. Greensword

April's rain

April's rain came,

Falling, falling incessantly,

Oh it's a shame

And the farmers ploughed

the land,

And scattered the grain

In lieu of summer's ripened

Grains

Whilst the birds flit from

tree to tree

Singing, singing incredulously

And during the day the

Golden sun

Enticed the children into

having fun

As the days run

And the nights grew cold

And we shivered and cuddled

Under the blanket

All through the night

Until the glorious morning light

When we walked unto the patio

Overlooking the highway

As vehicle after vehicle

Zoomed up Main Street

Amidst the sight and sound

Into the busy town.

- Ferdinand Boyd

Tropical blessing

If you hear raindrops caressing the roof,

and if you feel the chilly morning air ...

If you see the mango blossoms and the blooming Spanish needle ...

Spring is near!

If you hear and feel a strong wind blowing,

and you see flowers on the poui tree,

and on the ground ...

if it is no longer dark at six o' clock

in the morning,

and the sun rises before six thirty ...

Spring is near!

A symbol of new life, new birth,

even in our tropical isle.

- John Morris

A hot, hot day

On a hot hot day!

Mama says stay away from the hay.

Think cool,

Don't swim in the fish pool

Sit on a stool,

For the day is so cool.

If you are hungry

Sit down and don't be angry,

So please wait,

For the cake at Mistress Blake.

- Odean Willis

A stone among you

The time I fail

To understand

That your blood is

The same like mine

The time I fail

To grasp the fact

Your senses are

The same as mine

And the time I

Fail to perceive

You as a true

Image of me

I stop from being

A human being

And become a

Stone among you.

- Earl H. Walters

BYE BYE BABY

As you leave my shores

All I can see are tears

My heart drowns

My sorrows have multiplied

Goodbye is all I can say

Chances I never took

Greatest fears have

materialized

A million dreams may never

be realized

The chance to love totally

destroyed

In just one breath love left

for a lifetime

Hope how dare I hope

Dream how dare I dream

For now for later forever it's

simply goodbye

Goodbye my dear

- Kayan James