Growing up is very hard to do

Once upon ah time was ah very good time, when villagers lived like one big family, when near-bars shared only love and good-will; when kids uses to dwell like brothers and sisters, when coal pot and three “fire stone” uses to cook faster dan four burner “carry-scene” and gas stove; when “small boys” had dey chores (wuk) cut out before school, like “tie-out goat,” go shop foh bread, go up de hill foh fresh cow’s milk by Missah James wid dis one cow and calf, when boys had to mek several trips ‘droaging’ bucket-ah-water pon dey head, from de one public stand pipe and so on. Amidst all ah dis up’n’down, back and forth, kids found time to play, and play included: Bat’n’Bawl, pitch marble, spin top, fly kite, stone mango and so on. Every once in ah while “ah fight” would break out. And dey was always ah youth-man who could ah climb any tree, from plum, to mango to coconut. Yes! coconut tree like de lickle white-boy in de Nansi Story wid Lie-on. “ He was lickle but was de best climber, till one day he refused to climb ah coconut tree and de others beat him wid no pants on, or was it no shirt, force him to climb up.” Dat was ah mistake, he never forgot nor forgave, dat’s if he ever was!

Alas! Today de days of lickle Lie-on is past. He’s now Boss Lie-on wid Whirl Boss Wuk, but is like he still stuck in de heart ah dat coconut tree pelting coconuts pon dem below. Nobody better doh trouble he; ‘cause is pay back time; he dwelling wid Bills. Way dey’s no Bill he creating Bill. …. ah Bill foh every lash he received climbing up dat coconut tree: Lie-Bill or Deaf-Omission Bill! Bill foh throwing Miss-soil! Act-shun! Bill in Par-liar-mint, two Bill Boards by his French Gate-way. Lie-Za say his most recent Bill name Gates. But de straw dat broke his “Broad Back” was de Man-doh-tarry Bill, dat’s after he retreated “in Prayer of consideration” to tek de COVID 19 Vaccine, hopefully to convince de Nay-shun to tek it too. Maybe one day we might have to apologize to de Anti-Vaxers or Vice Versa.

DEYS HOPE FOH KENSON AND ADRIANNA

Just thinking of de many peaceful, law abiding citizens, who over de years have been tormented, harassed and terror-eyes by police at de whims and fancy of de pull-it-to-kill Direct-trait. And to what ends, because not only were de innocent exhonorated and freed of all charges, one became Chief Minister, others Ministers of Government, Senior Public servants, Executives and so on. First on de long list is de late George Mc Intosh soon to be made Nah-shun-all hero, was charged, tried foh treason in connection wid de1935 riots.

Mc Intosh was subsequently made SVG’s first Black Parliamentarian. E.T Joshua arrested and forced to be released when de people swarm de police station. Shortly after de people again, voted Joshua as SVG’s first Chief Minister. De turbulent1960’s, de decade of de Black Power Movement and De Education Forum of de People; police went on ah rampage searching and arresting ah number of young Progressives, among dem de late PR Campbell who later became Attorney General. In 1975 de Teachers Union took Industrial Act-shun, were tear-gassed, arrested and charged by police foh ah protest march. Among those locked up in cells were Yvonne Francis-Gibson and Mike Browne. Charges were dismissed and dey also later served as ministers of Government. De Minister of Eddy-care-shun, another king, knows His-story. Why does he not remind de PM dat when you blank yuh past yu will mek mistakes, Kenson King and Adriana King are in good company, dey have been arrested by de “ whoever led Black Squad.” De rest will be His-story. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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