Eddy-Kate de youths

Years ago, while wuking in de forest, my workmen and I came face to face wid ah beautiful young girl, who had occupied a piece ah state land. She was brave and said her name was Marie, dat she was de granddaughter of Pappa Warner, an ole rasta-man living in de village nearby. She carried her grandfather’s surname – Warner.

De workmen went beserk when she told dem dey could have ah few ah de plants she was caring. Small trees about four feet high, wid leaves looking like de okra leaf. One ah de chaps persuaded me to walk wid ah branch to make ah brew wid de leaves – set ah few leaves in ah kettle ah hot water, leave to cool and den drink about ah half-ah-teacup. Later dat evening, as soon as ah had my tea-cup of Marie’s brew, which was very nice, my friend phone to say she wanted to see me. But when she saw me at de door, her face looked like she had seen ah ghost. “Did yuh take ah Jet-plane to get here?” she asked. Ah must have driven de car at crashing speed, but to me it was normal. But den when ah got back home and took another cup ah de tea, put down me head to sleep, ah had about seven hours of deep, deep sleep, no interrupt-shun, not even to go wash-room dat night.

Dat was my first and last drink ah Marie Warner tea. Ah had enuff to send me searching foh info on dis fast-driving, deep-sleeping plant. My first interview was wid Marie Warner’s Grandfather himself. He said to me: “All de time ah reading your articles and de “I-D-tear-shun yuh does dwell, I-an-I could ah swear dat you was ah Bread-ah-ring dah dwelling in de Erb.” Grampa Warner had ah good piece ah folk-lore waiting foh me. He said: “Dey scientists found de Erb growing on King Solomon’s grave, and yuh ah man who does read, know dat King Solomon was de wisest man ever lived.”

When he was finished lecturing me about de 100-plus benefits of his granddaughter, Marie Warner’s plant, he went in his bedroom and brought out ah one-pound, black plastic bag full ah dry leaves, and handed it to me. De only reason why ah didn’t accept his gift was, just ah few buildings down de road from his home was de Police Stay-shun.

Ah believe in de power of de Erbs and bush, from de Moringa to Kojo Root, Marie Warner; Ginger, Sour Sop, Part-of-ah-man-life, Grave Yard, Trumpet and so on and so forth. 0ur fore-parents used those plants foh medicinal purposes, their back-yard was like ah pharmacy. As ah lickle youth-man in the whole ah Kingstown, we had two pharmacies – Dennie Pharmacy and G.A. Mc Intosh Drug Store. Today ah could account foh 10 pharmacies in de same Kingstown. Lie-Za say even supermarkets got pharmacies; it’s all part ah de business, dey sell us de junk food, since it will mek us sick, we might as well buy de medicine one time.

Yes, ah getting more and more fascinated wid dis de-Bait on de Legal-I-say-shun and Criminal-I-say-shun of Marie Warner; all its Me-dissing-all …oops, Medicinal properties. More fascinating is de message coming from our Pull-ah-trickans dat Marie Warner could play ah vital role in de E-con-Amy of SVG in de “Future.” Lie-Za insists dat de youths are de “Future”, and her concern is dat all of ah sudden, we going to free-up ah substance dat presently could send dem youths (de Future) to prison, but dey are not ah part of de De-Baait, not consulted or properly informed. Her gut feeling is dat Marie Warner should be taught as ah subject in Social Studies in de schools.

My one off experience tells me Marie Warner, like coffee, tobacco and other plants, has some kind ah psychoactive properties, and our main concern should be de real “Future,” of de youths. Dey like all ah we, only hearing bout ‘Marie Warner, de Business’, but very lickle about ‘Maria Warner, de Substance’.

Slow down ah bit, stop following Jah-mek-her, Aunt-Eager and others trying to mek right dis Hysterical-wrong. Put de Horse before de Cart way it belongs; Eddy-Kate de Youths, de Future users of de Marie Warner. All yuh better tek Warner oops, Warning. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.