My Bedtime Prayer

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my Soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Dat is my first Bedtime Prayer dat my Jah-mek-her grand-mother taught me before ah could ah even talk properly, ah was tie tongue.

But dat soul saving poem, all came back to me last evening when ah looked at ah Post Edwin “Magic” Quow made on Face Book not so long ago.

Is like ah fairy tale dat ah met “de Magic” of Nice Radio’s late night show fame, twice foh de first and last time on de same day. Six months ago ah was taking some holidaying Vin-sees to Dark View Falls, and ah asked Dr Adrain Fraser to kindly organ-eyes foh dem to get some cooked Black Fish in Bagga on de way down. When we got to Bagga, Doc Fraser introduced us all to Magic, his cousin de co-chef whom we were meeting foh de first time. De moment he said
“I’m Magic,” was like ah “Celeb Moment”, everybody seemed to have recognized his familiar Barry White’s deep baritone voice. Someone said “Oh my goodness! So you are de Magic on Nice Radio Late Night Show.” Even Magic did not have ah clue dat he was so very popular, he blushed like nutten happening. Dey “Big Him Up” big time foh his Programme.Den he led us to de kitchen and when Magic uncovered de containers, was more kudos: “don’t tell us you did all dis
cooking?” dey asked and began to taste too heavily. Ah had to remind dem dat Dark View Falls was our destination. Later dat afternoon Magic and some of his Bagga buddies came by to mek sure everything was OK.

Ah had not seem Magic since Dark View last year. Just imagine yesterday ah was reading one of Magic’s Face Book Post in which he was sharing his personal health concerns and his own mortality. Now what is interesting was his serious concern foh Justin Douglas, his co-worker on Nice Radio, who had suffered ah stroke ah few weeks ago, was hospitalized, discharge but was and still in bad shape.

Ah overs dat after ah short illness Magic died earlier dis week. In his post ah remembered him closing his eyes, moving his lips, if ah was ah lip reader ah would say he was saying ah Bedtime Prayer his Granny taught him. Rest Peaceful Bro.

SHAKE-UP FOH ICE-BOX VENDORS

Talk dat meking de rounds is dat Go-venom-mint is about to clamp down on de unacceptable wild party style behave-yah during funerals around de Cemetery compound. De Traditional Graveside Funeral Ceremony is now like ah party wid loud music, alcohol selling and drinking.

Now dey not talking bout de Spiritual Baptist funerals dat have always been ah part of our Religious Cultural Tradition over de years. Baptist members conduct demselves orderly to de Cemetery in full Spiritual Baptist Uniform- women in head-ties, sashes, flags singing accompanied by to light musical instruments tambourine.

However over de years dey would have been de appearance of de bum-drum band, small steel bands, and recently Hi-Fi on trucks at Funerals regularly. While nothing is wrong wid music in ah funeral procession, slowly our funerals dat are meant to be ah modest celebration of respect foh our departed loved-ones have been turning into ah Carnival Style Street Jum-up. One thing leads to de other. People need to cool down, so de ice-box vendors mek dem-selves available.

We can’t fault dem totally, wid unemployment high in SVG, people have to find creative ways of meking an honest dollar. Ah hope Go-venom-mint act wisely, find gainful employment foh people before dey go shaking up de vendors, kicking dem off de streets again. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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